


Frostbitten

by t_dragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-10 23:59:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12310611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: Icy touches burn like fire, Fiery passion chills like ice





	1. Chapter 1

 Shivering as the cold wind found its way down beneath his clothes, Luhan pulled the scarf up higher over his face. It had suddenly become really cold during the last couple of days, and Luhan was not happy about it - at all.

 Luhan liked the sun, he liked warmth, and to have to endure harsh winds and snow without the time getting used to it was hard on the poor man. The blizzard had come literally out of the blue, and not even the meteorologists had predicted it. One day it had been late autumn, and the next, snow was covering everything like a thin blanket. And from there on out, it had just gotten worse.

 If it continued like this, Luhan suspected he would be forced to spend a few days snowed inside. He had actually already prepared for such an occasion, with candles, batteries and different kinds of foods. It was not that he was a survivalist or anything like that, but he liked to be on top of things.

 Luhan had just turned down the path going through the park - a shortcut he used every day, since it made his walk at least two minutes shorter, though it could be slightly scary after dark - when he saw some snowflakes dancing around in an invisible mini tornado. It was actually quite beautiful, and Luhan came to a stop to watch it for a little while.

 In the next moment, the snow dissipated, and Luhan noticed a man standing behind it. His hair was as white as the snow, skin pale but with rosy cheeks, light blue lips, and pale blue eyes that pierced straight through Luhan. The man was dressed in what looked like a Korean durumagi, white and looking too thin for the weather, and as Luhan’s eyes traveled down, he realized that the man seemed to be only wearing the durumagi. No pants or shoes, or even socks.

 This woke Luhan from his trance, and he quickly rushed towards the man.

 “Shit, are you okay?” he asked in his broken Korean, but the man just looked at him, cat-like eyes looking filled with ice, actually making Luhan shiver again. “Are you lost? Did you lose your caretaker, or something? Can you speak?”

 The man just tilted his head a centimeter or so to the side, and Luhan sighed.

 “You can’t speak, huh? Well, there I go, wasting my newfound knowledge,” Luhan mumbled, switching over to Chinese since it did not seem to matter what language he spoke. “Come on, we need to get you out of the snow, and call the police, or something.”

 Wrapping an arm around the man, Luhan began to lead him away, through the park and to his apartment building. Even through his layers of clothing, Luhan could feel how cold the man was. He was basically radiating coldness, and when they got out of the snow, Luhan could see that the man’s feet were worryingly shifting color. Yes, they needed to get inside as quickly as possible.

 Thankfully, Luhan’s apartment was just across the road from the park, and they soon made it inside of the building. When Luhan felt the warm air hit his face, he gave a relieved sigh even though he knew they were not out of danger yet.

 A few minutes later, they were inside of Luhan’s apartment, and Luhan was staring at the man standing in the middle of his living room looking around, and had no idea what he was supposed to do now. After peeling off his outer wear, Luhan pulled out his phone and began to google.

 Chewing on his lower lip and scanning through the different sites, Luhan walked over to the man and took his arm. Holding it up, he pulled up the sleeve and inspected the hand, comparing it to the WikiHow description he had found. The skin looked a bit red and a bit pale in some places, but that seemed like a good thing. Then maybe the man was still saveable!

 “Okay, well, not too bad… Let’s get you into the bathroom and get you into some warm water, yeah?” Luhan said, smiling but not receiving any response except for silence. “Yeah, okay, come with me…”

 Once more, he led the man by an arm around his shoulder, heading into the bathroom. Somehow, through motioning and pushing and pulling, Luhan managed to get the man sit down on the edge of the bathtub, whilst Luhan began to adjust the water temperature.

 “This should be good enough…,” Luhan muttered, before looking over at the man, who were sitting and looking down at his toes. “This might hurt a little bit, and I’m very sorry about it.”

 And with that, Luhan held the shower head over the man’s feet. It took a second, but then the man straightened, hissing, and Luhan felt a hand fist in his shirt. Looking over at the man, Luhan saw him clench his jaw and squeeze his eyes shut.

 “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but we need to do this,” Luhan whispered, using his free hand to brush his fingers through the man’s white hair. “We need to get your hands and feet warmed up so you won’t lose them to frostbite. That wouldn’t be fun, right? Just a little bit more…”

 The man whimpered, leaning into Luhan’s touch, but he kept still so that Luhan could warm him up. After some time, the man seemed to slowly relax, and Luhan made him hold out his hands as well. Moving to stand behind the man, Luhan let him lean backwards, whilst still getting his hands and feet soaked.

 “See, feeling better, don’t you?” Luhan mumbled, soft smile on his lips as he noticed that the man’s head began to loll against his stomach. “Your color is getting better, so I think we should give you a quick shower, and then you can come lie down in the sofa whilst I figure out what to do with you.”

 The man leaned his head back to look up at Luhan, cat eyes blinking at him. With a sigh, Luhan turned the shower off, and made the man stand up and face him in the bathtub.

 “I normally don’t do stuff like this, but I guess I can’t really avoid it,” Luhan muttered as he reached for the bands keeping the durumagi together. Untying it, he slid the fabric off of the man’s shoulders, and realized that his first thought had been right.

 The man was literally wearing  _ nothing _ beneath the thin clothing - there was nothing but soft-looking, pale skin underneath, and Luhan made a point of not letting his eyes wander. He was not about to take advantage of a maybe disabled man, even though said man’s body was looking pretty fine from what Luhan allowed himself to see.

 “I’m going to put this right here - I’ll let you borrow some of my clothes later, we look to be almost the same size,” Luhan babbled as he carefully folded the durumagi as well as he could and placed it on the toilet. “And you’re going to shower whilst I get you a towel. Here, you hold this up against yourself, but not yet, we need to turn the water on first. There we go, hold it up like this, and there you go, showering!”

 Looking at the device in his hand, the man brought it up as per Luhan’s instructions, letting the water wash over him. His entire body tensed up as the warm water hit him, but then he relaxed, giving a deep shudder that almost Luhan felt.

 “Good, keep it up, I’ll be right back,” Luhan said, before exiting the bathroom.

 Truth be told, he was feeling a bit flustered. It was not every day that Luhan brought home unfamiliar men with  _ fucking abs of steel _ for them to take showers in his bathroom to warm up from almost being frostbitten. It had actually never happened, and he was not quite sure how he should react. For now, though, he set out on a quest for a clean towel and some clothes.

 Luhan returned to the bathroom a few minutes later, arms laden with different objects, to find the man squatting down in the tub, the shower head held over his head and water cascading down through his hair and body. The only part that was not more or less submerged was the man’s face, full cheeks having a more healthy pink tint to them now.

 As Luhan stood and stared, the man turned his head, closing one eye as some tendrils of water ran down close to the corner of it. His hair was pulled back from his face, and he looked softer, in a way. As if the shower had thawed not only his hands and feet, but the whole of him.

 “I, uh, have a towel and some clothes for you,” Luhan said, smiling and putting down some of the things in his arms. “Are you feeling ready to step out of the shower?”

 The man just stared at him, so with a sigh, Luhan stepped forwards and turned the water off, before holding out his hand for the shower head. The man stood up and instead of giving it to Luhan, put the shower head in the holder where Luhan had placed it before.

 “At least you’re learning,” Luhan mumbled, before wrapping the towel around the man. “Do I need to dry you as well, or can you do that on your own? Just, you know, rub the towel over your body and get rid of the water?”

 Luhan held up a piece of the towel, before motioning for his body, and rubbing his hands up and down his body. The man tilted his head slightly, before slowly beginning to mimic Luhan’s movements. After some time, he managed to get somewhat dry, and Luhan helped him out of the tub, reaching for the clothes.

 “Here is a pair of underwear, I don’t know if you know what it is, but they go on like a pair of pants,” Luhan slowly explained, holding up the garment for the man to see, before getting down on his knees and helping the man get them on. It took some effort, but in the end, Luhan managed to get the underwear up without getting a faceful of genitals.

 When the important parts were covered, Luhan stole the towel, before giving the man a pair of sweatpants.

 “These are like the underwear, you wear them on your legs,” Luhan said, motioning for the underwear. The man looked down, before he slowly pulled the pants on, somehow managing to get them on the right way. “Good job, man! You know what, I can’t call you man. You need a name, and since you haven’t said a word, I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me your name. How about I call you Baozi? Your cheeks are so round and cute, just like a baozi. Sounds good?”

 Having fixed the pants, the man glanced up at Luhan, giving the slightest smile. It was barely there, just a minimal upturn of the corners of his mouth, but Luhan saw it, and smiled back.

 “You liked that, huh? Okay, then,  _ Baozi _ , this is a hoodie. It goes on over your head, basically worn like your durumagi. Or like my shirt. Can you put it on on your own?”

 The man, Baozi, looked down at the item Luhan held out for him, holding it up and frowning slightly. It was a bit more confusing than a pair of pants, with all the holes and the hood, and on his first try, he ended up with it backwards. After a quick readjustment, and some help from Luhan, he managed to get it on right.

 “Good job,” Luhan said, picking up the towel before taking Baozi’s hand and leading him out of the bathroom. “Here, sit down in the sofa, and I’ll dry your hair for you.”

 Plopping down in the sofa, Baozi tensed up a bit as Luhan put the towel over his head, but began to relax as the other gently began to dry his hair.

 Luhan almost burst out laughing as he heard a soft and pleased mewl, but bit down on his lower lip to contain it. Since the other did not speak, it was kind of nice to hear him express things in other ways, and Luhan would rather not scare him into complete silence.

 “There we go, that should be enough…,” Luhan mumbled, taking the towel from Baozi’s head. “I’m still cold myself, so I’m going to make myself from hot chocolate, do you want some?”

 Of course, Luhan did not get any answer, just a stare, but since everything else had gone so well, he decided to try. Making sure the other was firmly wrapped in a blanket, toes and fingers kept warm, Luhan then went to the kitchen to make the hot chocolate.

 When he returned, he found Baozi sitting with his eyes closed, head leaned forwards in a way that made Luhan wince. Putting the two cups on the table, Luhan gently shook the other’s shoulder, smiling as he blinked his eyes open.

 “Hey, Baozi, if you’re that tired you should lie down,” Luhan snickered, before motioning towards the hot chocolate. “Try some of this first, okay? So we make sure you’re warm, then you can sleep some? Are your feet and hands hurting?”

 At the word ‘hand’, Baozi wiggled one hand out, holding it up for Luhan to inspect. The color was looking much better, much more alive, though still on the pale side. But the entire man seemed to be on the pale side, so Luhan was not too worried about that.

 “Look at this, much better, huh?” Luhan said, smiling as his fingers slid over the still slightly chilly skin. “Your body temperature seems to be rising steadily as well. Here, be careful, it’s a bit warm, but as long as you take it easy, it shouldn’t be any worries.”

 Luhan held out on of the cups and waited until the man had wrapped his cute little fingers securely around the cup and gotten a bit used to the heat, before releasing it and picking up his own cup. He watched Baozi take a sip, and smugly noticed the way the man’s eyes widened a fraction.

 “It’s nice, isn’t it? I normally prefer coffee, but hot chocolate feels better when you’re frozen,” Luhan said, taking a sip of his own. “You should try it with marshmallows some day!”

 Baozi began literally pouring the warm liquid down his throat, before Luhan laughed and managed to stop him.

 “No, you have to drink it slowly, or you’ll get a tummy ache!” Luhan said, pointing to his stomach and wincing, leaning forwards, to try to show what he meant. “Those are horrible, then you’ll have to spend like half an hour on the toilet… Not nice!”

 Baozi looked between Luhan and his cup of chocolate, before slowly taking a small sip, then putting it against a leg, and Luhan gave a pleased nod.

 They sat drinking their hot chocolate mostly in silence; Luhan because he was trying to think of what to do, and Baozi because he simply did not speak.

 When Luhan was done with his drink, he put the cup down on the table, before reaching for his phone and looking at Baozi.

 “I have no idea who you are, but I think that we should contact the police so if someone is looking for you, they’ll know where you are,” Luhan said, beginning to punch in the non-emergency number.

 Before he was done, though, pale fingers appeared in front of his vision, blocking the phone. Frowning, Luhan looked up, and saw Baozi shake his head.

 “You don’t want me to call the police?”

 A shake of the head.

 “But what if someone is looking for you?”

 Another shake.

 “Nobody is looking for you? That can’t be true, you were standing outside without proper-”

 Yet another shake.

 “You were without proper clothing, you’re not speaking, and you seem like you don’t know how to do basic stuff. You honestly seem like a disabled person or someone who have been locked up since birth, and in both cases we need to involve the police,” Luhan said, pulling his phone out from beneath Baozi’s hand. The hand came up to cover the phone again, and this time when Luhan looked up, feeling a bit annoyed, he was faced with the other man just centimeters away.

 He was staring intently at Luhan, and Luhan found himself slowly nodding.

 “Okay… I’ll wait with calling the police, I won’t do it tonight, but tomorrow I have to,” Luhan said in a low voice, feeling a bit shaken by the close proximity.

 Baozi have the slightest frown at the promise to call the next day, but still looked pleased that he had somehow managed to convince Luhan not to call that very day. Putting his empty cup on the table next to Luhan’s, he laid down in the sofa, head in Luhan’s lap.

 “Um, I’m pretty sure that the pillows are much more comfortable than my thighs,” Luhan said, but the man ignored him, pulling his blanket closer to his body. “Okay, then…”

 

 Luhan woke up to a horrible pain in his back and neck. Sure, his sofa was comfortable, but to sleep sitting up was never comfortable.

 Baozi was still in his lap, curled up like a cat. Reaching out, Luhan began to drag his fingers through the man’s white hair, shivering slightly at how cold it felt. Moving his hand, he placed it on Baozi’s cheek instead, to feel his temperature, but it was pretty okay. A bit on the cool side, but not out of what Luhan felt was normal. Especially not just a few hours after standing half-naked in the middle of a blizzard.

 Baozi took a deep breath, blinking his eyes open and squinting up at Luhan, who gave him a small smile.

 “Sorry I woke you up, just wanted to make sure you weren’t cold. Also, I need to move, my back is killing me and I can’t really feel my leg,” Luhan said, and Baozi sat up, rubbing his eyes.

 Luhan was starting to get a feeling of Baozi actually on some level understanding what Luhan was saying, but it seemed a bit ridiculous. First of all, Luhan was still talking Chinese and Baozi was probably Korean. Second of all, considering how he seemed unknowing about many basic things, it did not seem likely that he had a grasp on language. No, it was probably highly unlikely…

 Shaking the thoughts away, Luhan slowly stretched his back out, before getting on his feet. As the blood began to rush through his numb leg again, he grimaced and tried to walk around a little bit, just to speed up the process. After a few excruciating minutes, his leg was back in business, and Luhan gave a relieved sigh.

 “I need to go to bed now, Baozi, I need some proper sleep to be able to work tomorrow,” Luhan said, turning towards the man that was sitting and watching him. “You have the choice of either sleeping here, on the sofa, or in my bed. It’s big enough for the both of us.”

 Luhan had honestly not expected more than a slight head tilt, so when Baozi got up from the sofa and walked over to him, he was a bit surprised. Even more so over the fact that he had chosen to follow with Luhan, which meant sleeping in Luhan’s bed.

 Looking down at the man still wrapped in the blanket, cat-like eyes large and deep like two ponds of icy water, Luhan felt his heart skip a beat. Suddenly, the offer of having Baozi sleeps in his bed seemed like a bad idea…

 “Uh, okay, come on then,” Luhan said, leading the way to his bedroom with a slight slump to his shoulders. “This is my bedroom, and my bed. I, uh, guess you can sleep in those clothes, I think you should try to stay warm anyway, and I think I have an extra toothbrush somewhere, and- ah, why am I even rambling to you, you don’t understand a word I say… Just, stay!”

 Baozi looked at Luhan, and his lips looked slightly pursed, as if he was offended by the dog-like order, but Luhan waved this thought away. That was impossible.

 Instead he went in search of an unused toothbrush, and after some digging, he managed to find one still in its package, unopened.

 “Yo, Baozi, come here!” Luhan called, and a few seconds later, the called man stood in front of the bathroom. “Holy shit, you scared me! How did you get here so fast? Nevermind, come inside…”

 Baozi tilted his head, but walked inside. A frown appeared on his face as Luhan held out the toothbrush for him, and it deepened as Luhan showed him how to hold it properly to be able to put the toothpaste on.

 “Need to brush the teeth so we don’t get caries from the sugar bombs we drank before,” Luhan said, putting toothpaste on his own brush and putting it into his mouth to demonstrate how to do it.

 In the end, Baozi managed to get his teeth somewhat brushed, though most of the toothpaste dribbled down his chin. Luhan laughed as he helped Baozi wipe it off, trying to not make more of a mess of it.

 “There we go, now you’re back to looking handsome!” Luhan said proudly as he wiped the last of the toothpaste away, Baozi’s large eyes on him. “Ah, what am I even saying… Come on, before I make more of a fool of myself.”

 Luhan took Baozi’s hand and lead him back to the bedroom, where he made Baozi sit down on the bed as he began to go through his closet for the spare cover and pillows he had for whenever his Chinese friends travelled to South Korea to visit him.

 “Here we go, look at this! You get your own set, so you can feel safe! And I as well!” Luhan said cheerfully as he dropped the pillows and cover on the bed, and began to put fresh linens on them.

 When he was done, Luhan placed the pillows next to his own, motioned for Baozi to lie down on them, and then pulled the cover up over the man, tucking him in.

 “Try to go to sleep, I’ll just change clothes and then come back,” Luhan said, smiling gently, before turning and picking up his pyjamas and retreating to the bathroom to change.

 Sure, he could have changed in the bedroom - they were both men, Baozi would probably not care - but Luhan somehow felt shy about it. Just the thought of pulling his shirt off in front of the other man made him cringe in embarrassment.

 Dressed in his pyjamas, Luhan once more returned to his bedroom, and found Baozi curled up on his side, cover pulled up to beneath his nose, white hair spread out on the pillow he was resting on. Luhan once more got the mental image of a kitten, and smiled softly as he slipped into the bed, pulling his own cover up and making sure he was as close to the edge as possible. He had a tendency to cuddle people in his sleep, and thought it would be best to  _ not _ cuddle the stranger currently in his bed.

 Closing his eyes, his back to Baozi, Luhan thought that he would have to wait long for sleep to finally claim him. Surprisingly, the soft sound of Baozi’s sleep-slowed breathing and the feeling of someone being there next to him soon lulled Luhan to sleep.

 

~*~

 

 Wrapped in Luhan’s cover, Minseok sat and watched the snow swirling outside of the window. It was so beautiful, the white flakes slowly dancing in the dark night…

 As the snow slowly began to increase, the wind blowing it harsher against the window, Minseok smiled. Raising a hand, he softly moved it through the air, enjoying the way the wind followed his command, blowing the snow in spirals and around.

 “B-Baozi…?” a sleep-drenched voice mumbled, and Minseok turned around to see Luhan blink at him, still half-asleep.

 Reaching over, Minseok dragged his hands through the Chinese man’s hair, smiling at the shivers going through Luhan.

 “Go back to sleep, Luhan,” Minseok whispered, and Luhan’s eyelids fluttered closed, breathing soon evening out.

 Throwing one last look out through the window at the increasing storm, Minseok once more curled up on the bed and closed his eyes, basking in the warmth radiating off of Luhan.

 

~*~

 

_ “Go back to sleep, Luhan,” Baozi whispered, sweet voice speaking accented, though perfect, Chinese. _

 Luhan tore his eyes open, breathing too fast, at the memory. Memory? Or dream? Had Baozi spoken to him last night?

 As the sleep-haze cleared from Luhan’s eyes, he almost flew backwards out of the bed, startled by the closeness of the other man. Baozi was no longer laying on his own pillows, but on Luhan’s pillow, one man on each edge.

 Baozi’s eyelids fluttered, long eyelashes brushing over skin, and Luhan soon found himself staring into a pair of light blue eyes, looking like two blocks of ice filtering sun through them. And Luhan could not stop himself from thinking about how  _ beautiful _ Baozi looked, his breath catching.

 The enchantment was broken as Baozi turned over partially on his back, stretching out and yawning lazily, eyelids falling close again. Snapping back to himself, Luhan felt the blush creep up onto his cheeks, pulling the cover up over his face to hide it as he rolled over so his back was towards Baozi.

 And this time, Luhan actually fell out of his bed out of surprise as his alarm began to blare a cheesy pop song, meant to wake him up.

 “Shit, shit, shit!” Luhan muttered as he fumbled for his phone and managed to turn it off, before with a sigh once more sinking down onto the floor.

 A cloud of white hair appeared over the edge, and Luhan looked up at those piercing eyes that now seemed so childishly curious. Nothing at all like the glowing pools of knowledge Luhan had looked into last night. Or in his dreams. Yeah, it had probably just been a dream…

 “Sorry about that…,” Luhan mumbled, yawning and rubbing an eye. “I should go up and get ready for work…”

 Baozi’s lips quirked upwards, forehead frowning slightly, and Luhan found this expression very strange and very suspicious.

 “What…?” Luhan slowly asked, sitting up.

 Baozi also sat up, pulling the cover closer around him, as his eyes darted to the window and his smile grew a tiny little bit. Luhan threw a look towards the window as well, before whipping his entire head back, gasping.

 A full storm was blowing outside, the air filled with snowflakes being carelessly thrown around by the wind, and Luhan just knew that this was not good. Scrambling out of his cover and up from the floor, Luhan rushed towards the window to look outside, groaning as he gripped the window sill with both hands.

 “Are you kidding me…,” Luhan whined, releasing the windowsill to drag both hands through his hair. “I guess I won’t work today… How did we manage to get this much snow during the night?”

 Luhan’s bedroom window looked out onto the back parking lot, just before the large forest, and it was normally filled with the cars of the other residents of the apartment buildings. Now it was covered with a white blanket, the only sign of parked cars slight bumps here and there. It had to be almost two meters of untouched snow down there, and Luhan knew that there was no chance he would be able to go anywhere today.

 “Oh, well,” Luhan said with a sigh as he walked back towards the bed, picking up his cover and wrapping it around himself. “Now I can get some more sleep, at least. Move over, Baozi.”

 Baozi wriggled backwards, leaving some space that Luhan collapsed down onto, the force of his fall resonating through the mattress. It made Baozi bounce slightly, and tore a giggle out of him.

 Chuckling, Luhan looked up at the other man, seeing his eyes sparkle with amusement.

 “You liked that, huh? If I wasn’t worried about my bed breaking, I would let you jump in it,” Luhan said.

 Smiling softly, Baozi rolled closer to Luhan, looking like a fluffy burrito wrapped in the cover, only his face and a few strands of hair visible. Closing his eyes, he gave a little wiggle inside of his cocoon, before relaxing.

 “Gonna sleep again? Sounds like a plan,” Luhan mumbled, but instead of closing his eyes as well, he laid awake, watching Baozi.

 He was amazed by how quickly Baozi fell asleep, eyelids twitching as he dreamt, pink lips relaxing and falling open just the tiniest bit to let soft snores out.

 

 Luhan came awake to something pushing him. Dizzily in that way you only were after sleeping for too long, he blinked as he looked around, smacking his dry mouth.

 And gave a strangled shriek as large blue eyes framed by white hair took up his entire vision.

 Eyes widening, Baozi pulled backwards, as startled by Luhan’s reaction as Luhan was by Baozi’s closeness.

 Scrambling into a sitting position, Luhan placed a hand over his wildly beating heart, breath coming in small puffs.

 “I’m sorry for scaring you,” Luhan managed to say as he tried to calm down.

 Baozi’s eyes slowly returned to their normal size as he began to relax, shoulders slumping down, and he let out a small breath. A small breath that turned into a gasp as he jumped, surprised by the growl Luhan’s stomach suddenly gave.

 Luhan slapped both hands over his stomach as heat flooded his cheeks, an embarrassed grin on his lips.

 “Uh, how about some bre- I mean brunch?” Luhan suggested, and Baozi gave his little head tilt. “Just, let’s go, I’ll show you…”

 Luhan got out of the bed, Baozi following, and they headed towards the kitchen. On their way there, though, Luhan made a quick detour to the bathroom, feeling nature’s call, and found Baozi standing outside of the door afterwards, staring. Trying to ignore the fact that he had just peed whilst being listened to by a stranger, Luhan pulled Baozi along to the kitchen, with no more detours.

 Inside of the kitchen, Luhan began on their brunch, Baozi on his heel at all times. His eyes were large and seemed almost fascinated, and Luhan began to talk Baozi through what he was doing. Baozi seemed to drink every word Luhan told him, and it did not take long before Luhan let Baozi help, oddly feeling like both a parent and a partner.

 In the end, they ate slightly burned scrambled eggs with half-roasted toast, okay bacon (could you really fail with bacon?), and coffee. Baozi took an instant liking to coffee as well, and Luhan felt proud for turning yet another soul to the black liquid.

 “What are we supposed to do today?” Luhan mumbled, his cup against his lips. “It’s a miracle we still have electricity, though I’ll knock on wood to not jinx it.”

 Luhan absent-mindedly rapped the table three times with a finger, bringing his mind fully back to the present as Baozi mimicked his action, frowning as he shook his hand.

 “Did it hurt?” Luhan asked, trying to hide his smile behind his coffee cup. “Yeah, it’s not comfortable to knock on wood, but rather a few seconds of pain instead of a jinx…”

 Baozi puffed up his cheeks, flat out ignoring Luhan’s sudden cooes, and blew on his finger. It took Luhan a bit aback, how Baozi knew how to do that but not things like showering, but at the same time, everything surprised him about Baozi so nothing really surprised him anymore. If that even made sense…

 Shaking his head slightly, Luhan took a sip of his coffee.

 “How about watching some movies?” Luhan asked after a while, Baozi glancing up at him. “I’m guessing you don’t know what a movie is? Baozi, you’ve really missed out on life, you know? Well, don’t worry, I’m here now, to show you what life has to offer!”

 With that, Luhan quickly cleared the table, disregarding the dishes (he could do them later!), and pulled Baozi with him to the living room. Leading him over to the television, Luhan held his hands out towards his movie collection - and it was not small.

 “I have everything from Disney to the scariest of movies, whatever you want to watch, we’ll watch!” Luhan grinned, letting his fingers lovingly run over the backs of his movies.

 Stepping up next to Luhan, Baozi let his fingers run over the movies, just the same way as Luhan had done. There was a small wrinkle between his eyebrows as he scanned the movies, teeth worrying lower lip, and Luhan was once more enthralled by this mysterious man.

 In the end, Baozi pulled out a few different ones, and they started with an action movie. Luhan managed to dig out some chips, and they settled down into the sofa together.

 “Do you want a blanket?” Luhan asked as he pulled one into his own lap, but Baozi gave slight a shake, eyes trained on the screen.

 Luhan’s eyes slipped to Baozi ever so often, as he had already seen this movie a couple of times before, and since he found the man next to him more interesting. More or less stuffing his face with chips, Baozi’s full attention was on the movie, until it got so exciting he forgot about the chips. Luhan counted the seconds between every blink of Baozi’s eyelids, smiling softly as the time increased between each flutter.

 As the credits began to roll, Baozi was sitting with his legs crossed, elbows on his knees and his hands cradling his cute face. When he realized the movie was over, he collapsed back against the backrest, looking over at Luhan with large eyes.

 “Was it exciting?” Frantic nodding. “Do you want to see another one?” Frantic nodding increasing. “Okay, how about this one, it’s not as action-packed as the last one, but still pretty fun. But I’m going to need some hot chocolate, do you want some too?”

 Before Luhan had finished his sentence, Baozi jumped out of the sofa and marched over to the kitchen, opening the cupboard from where Luhan had taken their coffee cups earlier that day. Chuckling and shaking his head, Luhan joined Baozi, and showed him how to do the hot chocolate.

 “Oh, look what I found,” Luhan said, grinning and holding up a package. “Marshmallows!”

 Baozi’s lips formed a small ‘o’ as Luhan opened the package and poured a few marshmallows into each of their cup, using his finger to push one down and making it bob back up again. He did this a few times, before looking up Luhan, grinning, and Luhan grinned back.

 They returned to the living room, Baozi sitting down in the couch as Luhan started the movie. When Luhan turned back around to walk over to the sofa, he saw Baozi give a little sitting dance, a soft “Marshmallow!” slipping from between his lips.

 To say that Luhan was surprised was a gross understatement.

 “You can talk!” Luhan blurted out, Baozi looking up at him with raised eyebrows. “I heard you, you can talk! Say something more?”

 But Baozi merely took a sip of his chocolate, eyes gluing themselves to the screen again, and grumbling, Luhan sat down in the couch and took his cup, draining a fourth of it out of poutiness.

 More and more, Luhan began to suspect that Baozi was fully capable of speaking, though choosing not to. There was too much evidence against the mental disability theory, and so Luhan dismissed it. He was unable to come up with another theory to why he had found Baozi half-naked in the middle of a blizzard, and spent the movie trying to come up with something.

 Until he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye, snapping his head to look at Baozi’s hand.

 It was held out, palm up, and a few snowflakes were dancing in the air above it, looking a lot like the power one of the current movie’s characters possessed. Baozi’s eyes shone an unnatural light blue as he slowly looked over at Luhan, and Luhan realized he had not breathed for a long time now.

 “Wh-what are you?” Luhan stammered, frozen in place. “How… How are you doing that?”

 Baozi clenched his hand into a fist, making the snowflakes explode into tiny shards that quickly dissipated, and Luhan gasped, startled.

 “Magic,” Baozi whispered, speaking perfect, accented Chinese. “Are you afraid of me?”

 Yes. Yes, Luhan was afraid. But he was still unable to move, unable to tear his gaze from Baozi’s.

 “Yes, I’m afraid,” Luhan managed to get out. “Who are you?”

 The unnatural light in Baozi’s eyes slowly dimmed as the corners of his lips tilted upwards.

 “I am the stranger you invited into your home without demanding an explanation. I am the one responsible for the blizzard you despise so much. I am Baozi. I am so much more. I have many different names and labels, but you can call me Minseok.”

 “Minseok?” slipped past Luhan’s lips before he was able to stop it, and somehow, the name felt  _ right _ .

 Baozi,  _ Minseok _ , tilted his head, cat-like eyes sparkling with amusement.

 “Yes. Spirit of winter, I have the ability to control snowy weather. Most people I show myself to run away, scared, but not you… You took me home, you tried to make sure I would not get frostbitten, you let me sleep in your own  _ bed _ , even though you had no idea who or what I was. Most would call that being too kind for your own good, Luhan…”

 Luhan shuddered at the sound of his own name, cold fingers running down his spine, but he was still unable to look away from Minseok.

 “Are you going to kill me?” Luhan asked, the question being screamed inside of his mind.

 Maybe it was a bit late to think about the consequences now…

 “No, I promise,” Minseok said, giving a little chuckle that sounded like icicles clinking together. “I am not here to kill you, nor do I feel like doing it. I am a benevolent spirit, as long as you do not anger me. But my patience is pretty vast, so I do not think you need to worry.”

 Luhan slowly nodded, accepting the spirit’s words as truth, worrying his lower lip as another question popped into his mind.

 “Then why are you here?” Luhan finally asked, and it was barely above a whisper.

 Minseok raised an eyebrow, looking almost mischievous with his smiling lips pursed.

 “To have fun. It gets kind of lonely, spending all of this time alone. Normally, I just show myself, enjoying the reactions I get, but your reaction was different. And I thought, why not play along? See how far it goes? How far  _ you _ go?”

 “But why did you, uh, expose yourself, I guess, now?” Luhan asked. “You could have kept up the mute charade until I accidentally found out your real identity?”

 Minseok gave a shrug, opening his hand again and blowing a few snowflakes out of it.

 “I grew bored of it. I wanted to see how you would react to me using my powers. I am a bit disappointed that you are not screaming in fear right now… But, I should have suspected this, I guess.”

 Luhan’s eyes widened as he remembered something.

 “It wasn’t a dream, was it! Last night, you spoke to me, told me to go back to sleep, didn’t you?” Luhan gasped, the images flooding his mind.

 Minseok’s eyebrows quirked once, the smile on his lips changing and becoming more prankish.

 “I did, yes. You surprised me, waking up as I was making the storm increase, and I thought you would get scared. But instead, you listened to me, and fell asleep once more, without as much as a question. You should take more care, one day you will probably accidentally invite a killer into your home.”

 Even though Minseok had already promised he would not kill Luhan, it did not stop his words from sending shivers down Luhan’s spine.

 “But, if you’re a magical being, a… winter spirit or whatever, and I’m not knocked out cold and dreaming right now as the real you are killing me,” Luhan began, choking a bit at that possibility, “how come you seem incapable of doing basic things, like showering or putting on a pair of pants?”

 “Well, was I wearing pants when we first met?” Minseok drawled, making Luhan choke once more. “No, but I was exaggerating a bit. I do know how to dress myself, though this is the first time I have seen a ‘shower’. Fascinating things… I now understand why people say they hate going into them, but hate getting out of them. And I do not mind being cold most of the time! Also, I do not require food, hence, I do not know how to cook it.”

 Luhan dragged a hand through his hair, once, twice, thrice. This was getting so overwhelming... Panic, disbelief, amazement, a heady concoction of feelings mixed in his body until he felt like he was either going to faint or explode. Or maybe both.

 “I-I can’t believe this… I can’t honestly believe this… Did I fall and hit my head, or something?” Luhan babbled to himself. “This can’t be real…”

 Minseok reached over, cupping Luhan’s chin with one cold hand, forcing their gazes to lock again.

 “This is real. You have not hit your head, you are not lying somewhere bleeding out and hallucinating, I am not currently killing you. I am real, you are here, this is reality.”

 Luhan gave a weak laugh. “You know, even though you say that, I’m still not believing you… How can I? I managed to pick up a magical spirit without realizing, how can that be real?”

 Minseok let go of Luhan’s chin to pinch his upper arm, making Luhan jolt and yelp, rubbing the sore spot.

 “Hey! What did you do that for!” Luhan protested, glancing up at the being with a pout.

 “Is that not what humans do to convince themselves that they are not dreaming?” Minseok said, shrugging. Then he tilted his head, gaze growing distant as if looking at something far away. “Oh, dear… Whoops…”

 “Wha-,” Luhan began, before his entire apartment was plunged into darkness. “Holy shit, what happened? Did the power go?”

 “As I said, ‘whoops’,” Minseok answered, and in the strange grey light filtering through the snow storm, Luhan could see the innocent smile on the other man’s lips. “I think I might have aggravated the blizzard slightly too much… Do you have candles?”

 As Luhan opened his mouth to answer, there was a knock on his door. Frowning, he got up from the sofa and walked over, wondering who it might be and staying hyper aware of Minseok sitting behind him.

 Opening the door, Luhan came face to face with his cute neighbor, standing with an awkward rectangular smile on his lips and one hand at the back of his head.

 “Hey, Luhan, uh… You don’t happen to have any spare candles?” he asked in Korean, and Luhan took a second to adjust his brain to it, having spoken Chinese for longer than usual lately.

 “Ah, yeah, sure, wait a minute,” Luhan said, smiling, before he rushed into the kitchen.

 Opening his cabinet of supplies, Luhan brought out the entire box of different candles he had bought, meaning to give some to his neighbor, and the rest to Minseok for their own sake. But as he returned to the hallway, he found Minseok standing by the door, his neighbor positively fawning over him. Minseok had a small smile on his lips, and that look he had had up until he had revealed his powers to Luhan, and Luhan understood that he was once more back to playing mute.

 “Where have you been hiding this little cutie all the time, Luhan?” his neighbor asked as Luhan joined them. “He’s so adorable! Even though he doesn’t speak…”

 “Yeah, uh, he’s a friend, here visiting,” Luhan managed to get out, giving an awkward laugh and holding the box out. “Here, take a pick, I have a few…”

 “Hey, Baek, you were supposed to get candles, not chat up people!” a deep voice called out, and Baekhyun held up a hand to give a dismissive wave, eyes still on the candles.

 “I can do both! Calm down, I’ll soon be back!” the neighbor called back, and Luhan remembered that his name was Baekhyun. “Sorry about that, he looks big and scary, but really he’s a softie with a tendency to worry too much… Thanks for this, Luhan, if you guys need anything or just want company, come give us a knock! The doorbells are out, because of the storm, and you might have to knock hard for us to hear, but just kick the door or something if you don’t get a response! Bye!”

 And with that, Baekhyun and the candles he picked out rushed down the corridor to an open door, at which a giant stood with arms crossed and a pout on his face. Luhan smiled at them both, before closing the door and heading back to the living room, dropping the box of candles on the table.

 “He was nice,” Minseok said as he sat down in the sofa again, talking Chinese. “Loud and talkative, but nice.”

 Luhan just gave a nod as he basically collapsed down next to Minseok, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

 “Was my revelation too much for you to handle?” Minseok whispered, voice sounding too close and breath fanning over Luhan’s cheek.

 Opening his eyes, Luhan found Minseok leaning next to him, and it was mere centimeters between them. Luhan found it slightly hard to breathe.

 “Uh, no, it just wore me out a bit,” Luhan answered. “I just need a moment…?”

 Minseok gave a soft smile, before getting up from the sofa and walking around to the opposite side of the table. He leaned down and began rummaging through the box, picking some candles up and putting them down on the table. After getting instructions for where to find the lighter, he went to fetch it, coming back and lightning all the candles.

 Luhan watched in silence as the orange glow began to light up around them, making the world seem a bit more beautiful somehow. When you think about it, being stuck without any electricity in a blizzard, with only candles for light and warmth, it actually sounds kind of cozy. Slightly less cozy when you think about the fact that you are stuck in said blizzard with the reason for the blizzard, but still a bit cozy.

 “Minseok?” Luhan asked, the man humming as he continued with the candles. “Why did you increase the storm?”

 Minseok stilled, glancing up at Luhan, before resuming his duty.

 “To snow us in.”

 Luhan began to chew on his bottom lip as he thought about that.

 “But why?”

 Minseok finished lightning the candles and knelt down on the other side of the table, holding Luhan’s gaze over the tiny flames.

 “Because I want to get to know you better. And stop you from calling the police and have me removed from here. You piqued my interest, Luhan, and I wanted to extend the time I could get with you.”

 Luhan felt the heat rise on his cheeks, and he looked down at his hands in his lap. In a twisted way, this might be the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him - creating a blizzard just to be able to stay a little longer.

 As soon as Luhan realized what he was thinking, he tried to erase the thought. What did he mean ‘romantic’? Sure, it might have been, if they were a couple or mutually romantically interested in each other, but they were not? Luhan knew his own sexuality, and what little glances he had not managed to stop himself from taking of Minseok’s (glorious) body had been enough get him interested, but so what? That did not mean Minseok was interested back?

 “That’s… Kinda cute in a way,” Luhan muttered finally, playing with his fingers. “What do you want to know?”

 Minseok gave a low chuckle, folding his arms and placing them on the table, before propping his chin on them, head slightly tilted to the side.

 “Why are you here, in South Korea, when you are Chinese?”

 “I’m here studying, I wanted to see the world and studying in a neighbor country seemed like a good way to start.”

 “How old are you?”

 “Twenty-seven. Wait, how old are you?”

 “Too old. You would not believe me if I told you. Let us just say that I am of similar age to you. What are your interests?”

 “Uh, singing and playing soccer, but I still want to know your real age.”

 “I am a very old being, Luhan. Just leave it at that. So you sing? Are you good?”

 “I’m decent?”

 “Can you sing for me?”

 “Now? No!”

 “Why not?”

 “Because! I’m shy, I barely know you, and I have no music! Nu-uh, not gonna happen!”

 “Okay, calm down, I will not ask you to sing for me. What is ‘soccer’?”

 Luhan gasped, leaning forwards and placing both hands on the table.

 “You don’t- Oh my god, you don’t know what soccer is? It’s the best sport in the world! Well, basically it’s you’re in two teams, and you kick a ball, trying to get it into a goal, and score points. If we weren’t stuck in a certain someone’s  _ blizzard _ , I would take you outside right now and show you!”

 Minseok sat up and tilted his head to the side, looking so alike a cat that Luhan regretted his choosing of nickname. Yes, he still looked like a cute dumpling, but the cat-likeness was bigger.

 “You do know that I am able to control the blizzard to a certain extent, right? I can make a bubble of peace, an eye of the storm, so you can show me?”

 Luhan knew that his eyes were sparkling like crazy, but he did not care. With a huge grin, he jumped up from the sofa, taking a hold of Minseok and dragged him into the bedroom.

 “We’re gonna need warm clothes, we don’t want to freeze,” Luhan sing-sang as he rushed around the room, pulling out socks and pants and long johns and throwing it on the bed where Minseok seated himself.

 He was smiling softly at the Chinese running around, seemingly forgetting that Minseok was a spirit of winter, and unable to freeze to death. He was not bothered by the chill, either, proved by the fact that he was still fine after hours standing in the snow in only a durumagi. He created cold, cold could not harm him. But it was kind of cute, how caring Luhan was, so Minseok did not say anything.

 “Here, take your pants off and put these on,” Luhan said, handing Minseok one pair of long johns, already in the process of taking his own pants off. “You can wear those sweatpants over them, they should keep you warm enough. And here, these socks as well. And I have a long-sleeved shirt for you, to wear beneath that hoodie.”

 And even though Luhan was in the middle of getting himself dressed as quickly as possible, lured by the prospect of getting to go outside and play - and in the middle of a snow storm at that - he still found the time to catch glimpses of Minseok redressing. Strong muscles played beneath pale skin, and Luhan absently wondered how he stayed in shape like that. By lifting blocks of ice?

 A few minutes later, they were dressed and Luhan pulled Minseok to the hallway. He did not know why he still took a hold of Minseok to lead him somewhere, when he knew the man understood and he could just ask him to follow, but Minseok’s slightly smaller hand felt good in Luhan’s, so he did not question it. Too much, at least.

 Luhan, being a quite trendy man, had several different jackets. Of course, a few of them were not suited for being outside playing in the snow, but he managed to dress both himself and Minseok in jackets that would keep them warm and dry.

 “Come here, Baozi,” Luhan said as Minseok fought with the zipper of his jacket.

 He did not use clothes with zippers, so he had a bit of a hard time with them, but Luhan quickly helped him zip up and get the hood of the hoodie out from beneath the jacket, so that it would not create an awkward bump. When Luhan was done, he pulled something from his jacket pocket and pulled it down on top of Minseok’s head. Taking a step back to admire the sight, Luhan slapped his hands to his cheeks, grinning.

 “Oh, so cute you look, Baozi!” Luhan cooed as Minseok pursed his lips and walked over to the mirror in the hallway to look at himself. “Oh, shit, sorry, I mean Minseok…”

 Minseok glanced over at Luhan, a small smile on his lips.

 “You can call me ‘Baozi’, I do not mind. I have not been given a sweet nickname in a long time… Mostly they call me ‘monster’ or ‘abomination’ or something along those lines.”

 Just like that, Luhan’s smile fell.

 “That’s just mean… I’m sorry, Minseok. People are stupid,” Luhan said, taking pity on the spirit.

 “People fear what they do not understand, and what they fear, they have a tendency to want to destroy… Even if that is by shakingly throwing dirty names from a safe distance,” Minseok said as he walked back to Luhan, accepting the gloves Luhan held out for him. “I find it fun how scary they find me, though they do not know my powers. I might not be able to do more than appear and disappear during snowy weather, yet they treat me as if I am able to bury them beneath a block of ice.”

 “How… powerful are you?” Luhan asked as he got his own pair of gloves and his key, and opened the door to the apartment. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 “You will have to wait and see,” Minseok said as he walked past Luhan out the door, throwing a wink over his shoulder.

 Luhan was pretty happy that Minseok had his back against him, as the heat creeped up Luhan’s cheeks, and he took a deep breath to try to calm himself and his racing heart down.

 Little did Luhan know that Minseok could actually feel the embarrassment radiating off of him, warmth blooming in the cooler area around them, Luhan’s cheeks slightly hotter than the rest of Luhan’s body.

 The corridors and staircases were completely empty; the lack of electricity and the raging storm outside making most people stay inside in their safe apartments. The lack of life and noises made Luhan feel slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time, it felt oddly exciting, being around when no one else was. And it was not long before Luhan was trying to contain giggles, racing down the staircases with Minseok, who was also grinning wildly.

 When they arrived at the large glass double doors leading outside, Luhan was able to see the full extent of the snowfall. These doors were covered by a roof, but there was still enough snow to make opening them hard.

 “Wow,” slunk past Luhan’s lips as he gaped at the amount of snow - and it was still going.

 Minseok’s grin widened as he held out a hand in front of him, and suddenly the snow in front of the door pulled back, creating a neat little opening around the door, enough for them to be able to be pushed open and for Luhan and Minseok to get out.

 Luhan took a step backwards in surprise, yelping, before he rushed over to the doors and looked outside.

 “Oh my god, that was so cool!” he exclaimed as he unlocked the doors and pushed them open, sticking his head out into the cold. “Shit, that’s cold…”

 A push from behind made Luhan stumble out, almost falling face-first into the snow, Minseok joining him outside. Tilting his head back and closing his eyes, Minseok took a deep breath and let it out in a satisfied sigh, and when he opened his eyes and looked at Luhan, Luhan thought that Minseok’s eyes looked brighter than normal. Almost white instead of the icy blue.

 And it almost took Luhan’s breath away.

 “Are you ready to see what I can do?” Minseok whispered, and Luhan nodded, spellbound.

 Walking a bit further out into the snow, Minseok held up his arms towards the sky, and as Luhan watched, the snow slowly began to move away, creating a dome of free air around them. The snow on the ground also sank away and to the sides, leaving a path for them to walk on.

 “How is that?” Minseok asked as he turned towards Luhan, eyes glowing.

 It took Luhan a few seconds to find his mouth, unable to do much more than stare at the supernatural being standing in front of him.

 “Mind blown,” Luhan finally said, holding up a hand to his head and mimicking his head exploding. “Insane. I can’t believe I slept with someone who can control snow. Amazing.”

 Minseok slowly raised a brow, and Luhan realized what he had said, however unintentional it had been.

 “No, no, wait!” Luhan exclaimed, holding up both hands and shaking his head. “I didn’t mean it like that! I mean slept next to! NEXT to! Not with!”

 Minseok walked up to Luhan, until they were standing so close that their breaths mixed, misty clouds rising to the sky.

 “You know, I have heard that the first thing you blurt out is the truth, it is what you desire,” Minseok drawled, voice low and eyes hooded. Before Luhan could say anything, though, Minseok began to skip backwards, sly smirk turning into a large grin. “Come on, let us go! I want to know what this ‘soccer’ is!”

 Mind numb, all Luhan could do was to follow the excited spirit towards the park where they first met a day ago. Had it really only been a day? To Luhan, it felt like more. To Luhan, it felt like half of a lifetime, and at the same time, just a second. Funny how time worked…

 “Luhan? Where are we going?” Minseok asked, and Luhan looked down from the grey sky, locking eyes with blue instead.

 “Ah, to the park. Do you see those poles over there, creating a rectangle? Those are the goals, which you’re supposed to get the ball into,” Luhan said, pointing towards the open area a bit further away.

 “Ball?” Minseok asked, tilting his head to the side. “But we do not have a ball?”

 “That’s very true, you’re so observant!” Luhan said in an overly cheerful voice as he led Minseok over towards a shed close to one of the goals.

 When something suddenly crept up his back, inside of his clothes, like long, cold fingers chilling him. Yelping, Luhan jumped and spun around to see Minseok standing with a stupid grin on his face, wiggling his clothed fingers in the air, the ghost fingers on Luhan’s body also wiggling and tickling him. Giving a shriek, Luhan collapsed in a giggling heap in the snow, begging for mercy.

 “I did not know you were ticklish,” Minseok said as he leaned over the heavily breathing man on the ground. “And extremely so at that.”

 “S-so cold,” Luhan shivered, sitting up and trying to rub the cold-touched parts warm again. “And I’m normally not that ticklish! But don’t do it again! Ugh…”

 “Okay, I will not do it on purpose, I promise,” Minseok said as he held out a hand for Luhan. “Need help?”

 Luhan accepted the help and let Minseok pull him up, a bit surprised by how strong the tug upwards was. The muscles certainly were not only for show…

 Brushing off the snow, Luhan began to walk again, Minseok following. They stopped by the shed, and Luhan turned to Minseok.

 “Can you, you know… Like, move the snow again? From the door here?” Luhan asked, and Minseok complied, moving his hand through the air. The snow followed, making a pile to the side and giving Luhan access to the shed.

 Opening the door, Luhan quickly rummaged through the shed until he found a soccer ball, exiting the shed and closing the door behind him as he held up his prize for Minseok to see.

 “This is what we’re playing with! Come on, let’s go to one of the goals, and I’ll show you how to play,” Luhan said, grinning, before rushing off with Minseok in tow.

 Standing next to one of the goals, Luhan talked and kicked the ball into the air, as Minseok cleared a space in front of the goal so they could play.

 “No touching the ball with your hands, that’s probably the most important rule,” Luhan said as he let the ball drop to the ground and kicked it over towards Minseok. “Try shooting it back to me, and use your inner foot instead of your toes. It will hurt less.”

 Minseok gave a nod, eyes focused on the ball laying in front of him. He did a few try swings in the air, before kicking the ball. It was more of a nudge, though, and so the ball did not go very far. Both men watched the ball roll barely twenty centimeters in silence, only the soft fall of snow being heard, before Luhan broke down laughing. Squatting down, he hit his palm against the ground a few times, trying to breathe.

 “Th-that was so… Cute!” Luhan gasped, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes as he finally began to calm down. “You have to kick it a bit harder, don’t be chicken about it!”

 “Get up and I will try again,” Minseok growled and Luhan tried to repress a small giggle. It did not go well, but he did stand up once more.

 This time, it went a bit better, as Minseok kicked the ball and the ball actually went all the way over to Luhan, who caught it and quickly kicked it back.

 “Good job! Again!” Luhan called out, mirroring the proud grin on Minseok’s lips.

 They spent some time just kicking the ball back and forth, getting Minseok used to the feel of it. Luhan was surprised by how quickly Minseok adapted, but after all, he was a magical being, so why would he not be good at playing soccer?

 “I think I have seen children play this!” Minseok exclaimed in an excited voice as he kicked the ball towards Luhan.

 “Are you up for trying to score against me?” Luhan called out, using his toes to get the ball into the air and catching it with his hands. “We can switch after a while, so you can try to catch as well?”

 Minseok gave a shrug, all smiles, as Luhan went past.

 “I do not see why not. This is fun, and I would not mind exploring it even more!”

 Luhan threw Minseok a grin as he dropped the ball to the ground and hurried over to the goal, adjusting his gloves and clapping his hands together.

 “Just try not to hit my face, I’m kind of attached to it!” Luhan said as he bent over slightly, eyes trained on Minseok and the ball.

 “I will try not to, I am kind of attached to it as well!” Minseok called out, cheeky grin on his lips as he rushed forwards to kick the ball, giving Luhan no time to react to the compliment.

 With an ‘oof!’, Luhan managed to catch the ball, giving his hands a shake to dispel the slight ache in them from the force they had absorbed.

 “You little imp, you can’t try to distract me like that!” Luhan hissed, kicking the ball back to the other man.

 “What, distract? Oh, that was not my intention at all!” Minseok said in a faked innocent voice, gasping and putting a hand over his heart. Then he grinned mischievously and met the ball as it made its way over and promptly returned it, this time putting a bit more thought into aiming.

 The ball flew towards the left upper corner, and Luhan jumped, fingers grazing the ball before it flew into the net, making a small rain of tiny icicles drop on top of Luhan. Shrieking as some managed to find their way into his clothes, Luhan began jumping in place to try to get them out.

 Minseok, on the other hand, collapsed into a laughing heap in the snow.

 “So cold!” Luhan exclaimed, shivering as he finally managed to get the icicles out - or at least melt them away.

 Minseok rolled over onto his back, laughter ebbing out, lazily starting to make a snow angel.

 “ _ The cold never bothered me anyway _ ,” he sang softly, and Luhan was starstruck by his voice.

 He barely even noticed how he got closer to the singing spirit, collapsing down onto his hands and knees to hover above the humming man who had closed his eyes.

 “Sing more,” Luhan whispered, a silent plea.

 Minseok cracked his eyes open, eerie blue locking with dark brown, a small smile on his lips.

 “Sing for me,” he shot back, reaching out to touch Luhan’s nose with a snow-speckled finger, making the Chinese lean back slightly.

 “Uhm,” Luhan mumbled, chewing on his lower lip. “If I promise to sing for you later, will you sing for me now?”

 “No. You have - unintentionally - heard me sing, and now I will not sing again until you have sung for me,” Minseok said, closing his eyes once more and resuming creating his snow angel. “Ah, the snow feels so good…”

 “Hey, where do you go during the summer?” Luhan asked, the thought suddenly popping into his head. “If you’re a spirit of winter, then are you around during the summer as well?”

 “There is always winter somewhere. Penguins are extremely adorable,” Minseok said, making Luhan frown. “Yes, sometimes I spend time at different snowy places looking at animals. They make me feel less lonely, they are not as scared of me as humans are.”

 Luhan sighed, sitting down on his knees and cupping Minseok’s face with his hands, making the spirit open his eyes.

 “I’m so very sorry for what you’ve had to endure. Humanity is stupid, I know that, but that’s not an excuse.”

 Minseok’s arms flew up to wrap around Luhan’s neck, and with a swift tug, he pulled the Chinese man’s head down to connect their lips. His lips were so, so cold, so cold that they burned Luhan, making him gasp.

 “Stop apologizing for something that is not your fault,” Minseok whispered as he let Luhan up for air, arms still around neck. “You have been nothing but kind to me, and long ago made up for whatever else I have had to endure.”

 Luhan, who was bracing himself with his hands on either side of Minseok, tried to get his racing heart under control as he watched the spirit beneath him. Sincerity shone in those icy eyes, making warmth spread throughout Luhan’s body.

 “It still isn’t fair, though,” Luhan mumbled, quickly continuing as Minseok opened his mouth to protest. “But thank you. I’ll try not to apologize again, though I feel like I should. You know, since I’m affiliated with said humanity and stuff? But I’ll try not to.”

 Minseok gave a small smile, before releasing Luhan, and Luhan felt oddly cold as the arms disappeared. He pushed this aside as he got up, though, and helped Minseok up as well.

 “Want to try to make a few more goals?” Luhan asked, and Minseok nodded, grinning.

 “Wait, Luhan, stop for a second,” Minseok said, and as Luhan stopped in the middle of a step, Minseok held out a hand towards the goal.

 There was still tiny icicles clinging to the net of the goal, but as Luhan watched, they slowly melted and disappeared, until there was not a trace of them left. Astonished, Luhan whipped his head around to look open-mouthed at Minseok, who shrugged.

 “So you do not have to suffer from the cold again,” he simply said, and Luhan cooed as he placed a hand over his heart, touched by the consideration.

 

 They spent a long time playing soccer, switching between Minseok trying to score, Luhan trying to score, and just kicking the ball back and forth. Slowly, the soft grey around them began to darken, signalling the night approaching.

 Feeling the sweat dampening his clothes, Luhan took a deep breath, trying to get it under control. He had not worked out this much in a long time, and was severely out of shape. But at the same time, it felt good - reinvigorating in a way.

 “I’m starting to get hungry, maybe we should go back, Baozi?” Luhan called out as Minseok tried to kick the ball as much as possible without it hitting the ground.

 “Okay!” Minseok chirped back, kicking the ball in Luhan’s direction, but overshooting by quite a lot. “Oops!”

 “Don’t worry, I’ll get it!” Luhan called out, already jogging in the direction the ball had went.

 “Luhan, no-,” Minseok yelled, worry clear in his voice, but Luhan was already past the invisible barrier that kept the blizzard at bay as they played.

 Barely a few meters into the unaltered storm, Luhan fell prey to the cold. As the snow harshly whirled around him, tugging at his clothes and trying to get inside, the coldness was already seeping in. Face starting to numb and body starting to tremble, Luhan collapsed to his knees in the deep snow, wrapping his arms around himself to try to keep himself warm.

 Gasping for breath, Luhan felt as if he was inhaling ice, and it hurt so bad. He tried to whine, but no sound came out, his vocal cords seemingly frozen.

 Then the terrific cold eased up, making him able to breath properly again, and two arms wrapped themselves around him, pressing him against a source of warmth, and Luhan relaxed back against it.

 “You silly boy!” a voice hissed in his ear, but Luhan was still a bit too numb to properly react. “You were sheltered inside of my bubble, but the blizzard outside is strong! It would not take long for you to freeze to death! Then I would have killed you, indirectly! You silly, silly boy…”

 “I-I’m sor-ry,” Luhan managed to get out, teeth clattering still.

 Minseok sighed, a rush of warm breath against Luhan’s cheek, and Luhan wanted more.

 “Let us get you inside, warm you up,” Minseok said, his tone gentle, as he slowly helped Luhan get up. “Just stay close.”

 Both arms around the slightly smaller man, Luhan was more than happy to oblige. Not only because of the minor warmth provided, but also because of the shelter. Suddenly, the blizzard whirring past around them looked a lot more menacing, making Luhan shudder. Mistaking it as out of cold, Minseok tightened his hold on the Chinese man, as they slowly headed back to Luhan’s apartment.

 

 Inside, Minseok ordered Luhan to get into the bathroom and strip.

 “You helped me, I will help you,” Minseok said in a firm tone as Luhan began to protest. “Even though I did not need it, you do. Plus, you saw me naked, it is only fair for me to see you naked.”

 A faint blush crept up onto Luhan’s cheeks, hindered from fully blooming by his lowered body temperature.

 “I-I never got a proper look!” Luhan stammered. “I didn’t want to invade your privacy!”

 Minseok grinned as he began to peel the clothes off of Luhan, though the other man tried to struggle against.

 “What a shame. I would not have minded you checking me out,” Minseok drawled, making Luhan’s stomach clench and his blush deepen. “But do not worry, I will not take advantage of your nakedness. I will keep my eyes above your waist, I promise.”

 Slightly calmed by the promise, Luhan stopped struggling. He did not know why he felt so embarrassed by having Minseok help him - especially not since he realized that a warm shower would help him  _ a lot _ in his cold state - but he did, and he tried to push it away.

 Standing shivering in his underwear, Luhan forced Minseok to turn around as he got rid of the last piece of clothing and quickly got into the shower. Squatting down, he covered himself with his hands as well as he could, and let Minseok turn back around and start the shower.

 “It will be a bit warm, but just try to relax,” Minseok murmured as he slowly began to shower Luhan, starting at his lower back and carefully going higher.

 Luhan’s entire body tensed up as the warmth hit his cold body, clenching his jaw and eyes shut and forcing himself to stay still. After a few seconds, his skin began to get used to it, and he relaxed into the water, letting the heat warm him up again.

 “Lean your head back,” Minseok mumbled as his fingers combed through Luhan’s dark hair, and Luhan obeyed, keeping his eyes closed.

 Minseok moved the shower head upwards, letting the water run down Luhan’s head and his finger drag along the same path. Luhan gave a deep shudder at the warmth combined with the light massage, almost tipping backwards as he relaxed even further. Minseok chuckled as his hand moved from Luhan’s scalp to Luhan’s back, as a precaution.

 “Does it feel better?” Minseok asked after a while of drenching Luhan, and Luhan nodded slowly, starting to feel sleepy. It had been an exciting day, and the heat was not helping at all. “Tell me where I can find the towels, and I will fetch one for you.”

 Luhan gave Minseok instructions, and then gratefully took the shower head and held it to his chest as he waited for the spirit to return. Luhan felt as if he barely blinked before Minseok was back, and suspected that that might actually have been the case. Was he able to teleport? Luhan would have to ask one day.

 Minseok turned the water off, dragging a whine from Luhan, before retrieving the shower head and making Luhan stand up, wrapping the towel around him.

 “I must apologize, because even though I promised to keep my eyes above your waist, I accidentally got a glimpse,” Minseok said as he helped Luhan dry off.

 Eyes bulging out, Luhan choked on his own spit, face finally turning a deep red.

 “Yo-you wh-what?!” Luhan managed to get out.

 “Well, at least you are warm enough now!” Minseok grinned, steering Luhan from the bathroom and into the bedroom. “Let us get you dressed and into bed, I can see your eyelids drooping.”

 Luhan fell down onto his bed as Minseok went to his dresser, still shocked and terrified. Minseok appeared in front of him, holding a pair of boxers, and Luhan tilted his head back and looked up at him.

 “Are you upset? Luhan, there is no need to worry! You have quite the beautiful body, and should not feel ashamed over it. Here, put these on. I trust you can do it on your own?”

 Luhan quickly snagged the underwear out of Minseok’s hand, before pulling the giant towel over his head and hiding. He somehow managed to wiggle into the boxers whilst still staying hidden, but he could still hear Minseok’s chuckle.

 “I don’t feel ashamed over my body!” Luhan exclaimed as he retreated from underneath the towel. “I fe-”

 What he had not expected, though, was to find Minseok’s face just a few centimeters away, intently staring at him with an amused smile on his lips.

 “That is good. What are you feeling, then?” Minseok murmured, fresh breath washing over Luhan’s face and making his head spin a bit.

 “I, uh… Feel embarrassed? Strangely enough?” Luhan said in a low voice, trying to gather his thoughts. He felt spellbound by icy blue eyes, made to spill his inner thoughts. “Shy. I want you to find me… attractive?”

 Luhan’s eyes widened as he realized what he had just said, but Minseok’s smile just tugged slightly as his hands wandered up to Luhan’s shoulders. Slowly, so slowly, he pushed the towel down, and Luhan let him, until Luhan’s upper body was exposed. He shivered, but he did not know if it was from the cold, or from Minseok’s heavy stare.

 “You do not have to worry about that. Like I have already told you, I find your body very beautiful,” Minseok said softly, letting a cold finger travel down Luhan’s sternum, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “Get dressed. I remembered you said you were hungry.”

_ Yes, but not for food _ , suddenly flashed past in Luhan’s mind, and barely believing his own thoughts, he spluttered, blush increasing. Minseok tilted his head as he held up a shirt for Luhan to put on, before a smirk graced his lips.

 “What kind of food do you have in mind?” Minseok teased.

 “None at all!” Luhan exclaimed, snatching the shirt away and pulling it on himself.

 Minseok just laughed as he handed Luhan his sweatpants to put on, before pulling the Chinese man to the kitchen.

 Luhan collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, his heart, and therefore his knees, still feeling a bit weak. Minseok, on the other hand, went to the fridge and pulled it open.

 “You shouldn’t open the fridge when there’s no electricity, so the food doesn’t spoil,” Luhan protested weakly.

 Looking back at Luhan, Minseok simply pursed his lips at the Chinese, and Luhan remembered with a chuckle.

 “Oh, right, yeah, spirit or winter, you can control the cold, how silly of me,” Luhan said, earning himself a sweet smile.

 “So, what do you want? I do not know what you can eat, since the electricity is out, but I trust that there is at least  _ something _ ?” Minseok mumbled as he looked through the fridge, chewing on his lower lip. Luhan found the action very cute, smiling softly as he got up and walked over to the fridge as well.

 “Hm, those containers should contain food I don’t have to warm up,” Luhan said, pointing to some of the boxes standing in the fridge. Minseok gave a nod before starting to pick them out, shooing Luhan away as he tried to help.

 Sitting back down, Luhan put his chin on his folded arms, watching as Minseok walked around the kitchen, sometimes having to help with pointing out with where certain things were. But for most of it, Minseok took care of it on his own, and soon produced a plate of food in front of Luhan for him to eat.

 “You’re not going to eat anything?” Luhan asked as he picked up his fork, glancing up at Minseok.

 “I told you, I do not require food,” Minseok said with a small smile as he sat down across from Luhan. “But thank you for your thoughtfulness. It warms my cold heart!”

 Luhan gave a snorting laugh as he began to eat, Minseok entertaining him with small talk throughout it.

 “You should go to bed now,” Minseok said as he stood up and took Luhan’s empty plate away. “You should be quite tired by now.”

 As if Minseok’s words had triggered him, Luhan felt sleepiness radiate from his spine and out, and he stretched and gave a yawn.

 “You can enchant me into feeling sleepy as well?” Luhan asked with a small grin, getting one back in return as Minseok came back to the table.

 “No, but I can remind your consciousness of what your unconsciousness feels. Now, come along, teeth brushing!”

 Grumbling a bit just because, Luhan stood up and followed Minseok to the bathroom, where they both brushed their teeth. And even though this was his second time doing it, and he was no longer playing a role, Minseok still ended up with toothpaste dripping down his chin. And much like last time, Luhan cooed and helped wipe it away, ignoring the small jolt of electricity that zapped the skin on the pads of his fingers.

 Getting into bed was a whole other business, though. Luhan got into it first, and watching as Minseok slipped beneath the covers, his heartbeat sped up and his mouth dried out. Nervousness made him anxious, but he tried to tune it out.

 “Are you still cold?” Minseok asked, whispering in the dark.

 “A little,” Luhan admitted, feeling sheepish. “I’m sorry I just rushed off like that… I didn’t realize just how cold the blizzard was…”

 “I probably should have told you that I controlled the temperature inside of the bubble, as well,” Minseok snickered, his hands finding Luhan’s shoulders. “Come here. My temperature is lower than yours, but it is better than nothing, and our combined temperatures will be more than enough.”

 Not thinking about it, Luhan wriggled into Minseok’s embrace, pressing his cold nose against Minseok’s barely warmer neck. He smelled good, like ice and spearmint and musk, and Luhan unconsciously took a deep breath, inhaling the scent and memorizing it, eyelids fluttering closed. Arms wrapped around his back, holding him close, and Luhan relaxed into the embrace.

 “Better?” Minseok asked, and Luhan gave a small nod.

 Because even though Minseok was unnaturally cold, feeling more like the air in the room than Luhan, it still felt amazing to be held by him. And even though Luhan probably should not feel this close to the spirit after knowing him for just a little over twenty-four hours, especially since he had only known the  _ real _ Minseok for much less than that, it still felt  _ right _ . As if this was meant to be. Fate, maybe?

 Or just a terrible survival instinct?

 Honestly, in the moment, Luhan did not care much. He just snuggled closer to Minseok, gave a small shiver, and began to drift into the land of dreams to the sweet rhythm of a hand slowly caressing his back.

 

 As Luhan slowly came awake, he knew that it was not morning yet, and the something else had woken him up.

 He was still laying in Minseok’s arms, but now he had a firm grip on the thigh he must have pulled over his own hip at some point. Fingers were combed into his hair, keeping his head in place against a warm throat, and Luhan nuzzled into it. The fingers in his hair tightened their hold, to the point of pleasurable almost-pain, as Minseok gasped awake.

 “Sorry,” Luhan muttered against skin, not knowing exactly what he was apologizing for, but refusing to move anyway.

 “You should really stop apologizing so much,” Minseok said, sleepiness and slight breathlessness mixing in his voice. Luhan loved the sound of it.

 And in the middle of the night, darkness enveloping them and sleepiness bringing courage, Luhan said fuck it all. Well, he though it, at least.

 “Okay, well, I’m not sorry about this,” he breathed, before letting his lips wander across Minseok’s throat and his hand pull Minseok’s lower body closer.

 Minseok positively purred at this, and Luhan’s heart began to beat faster, blood pumping quicker. And then he found himself laying on his back, Minseok on top of him, dark blue eyes locked with his.

 “Are you sure about this?” Minseok whispered, lips ghosting over Luhan’s.

 Without blinking, Luhan slowly nodded his head, because yes, he was very sure of this. A soft look entered Minseok’s eyes, and before Luhan himself knew what was happening, he had lifted his head to press his lips against Minseok’s soft, pink ones.

 And to say that he was surprised when said lips turned cold was an understatement.

 “Forgive me, you overwhelmed me,” Minseok said as he pulled back, eyes a bit unfocused. “You made my powers go haywire…”

 “I’m not sorry about that, actually,” Luhan grinned, using the distraction to put his arms around the spirit and roll the both of them over. “Sorry not sorry!”

 About to say something, Minseok did not get anything more out than sputters as Luhan attached his lips to Minseok’s throat once more, this time adding teeth to lightly nibble. Icy cold fingers found their way beneath Luhan’s shirt, sending shivers down his spine, but it was a welcomed contrast to his own blazing skin.

 Luhan kissed a trail up Minseok’s throat and over his jaw, getting up on his arms so that Minseok could roll his shirt up, before pulling it over his head. As soon as he was freed from the clothing, Luhan dived back down to Minseok’s lips, as his hand struggled to get Minseok’s shirt off, the other hand being used to keep himself up. Smiling into the kiss, Minseok helped Luhan with the shirt, and in no time at all, they were both topless and panting against each other.

 “Yeah, I’m totally not sorry about this,” Luhan breathed as he watched Minseok beneath him, eyes sliding over a pale sculpted chest and abdomen.

 “Just, stop talking!” Minseok hissed as he pushed his fingers into Luhan’s hair once more, pulling the Chinese man down to claim his lips again. Luhan chuckled into the kiss as he let his hands roam down Minseok’s sides, pressing their hot and cold bodies together.

 And then once more found himself rolled over onto his back, Minseok hovering on top, but Luhan did not mind in the least as those chilly lips began to travel down his throat and to his collarbones. He did not know if the shivers down his spine came from the cold, or from the pleasure, but Luhan suspected both.

 As teeth gently tugged at his nipple, it felt as if cubes of ice were pressed against it, and jolting upwards, Luhan bit his lower lip to contain the soft hiss. A slightly warmer tongue lapped at the abused nipple, making Luhan sigh, before it continued on its way downwards.

 Slowly, the sensation of Minseok’s cold against Luhan’s warmth began to drive him insane, and even more so as Minseok’s finger slipped beneath his pants to pull them down, taking the underwear with them as they went.

 Exposed to the cool air of the room, Minseok’s cool touch, and Minseok’s burning stare, Luhan could do little more than lie there and tremble, heart in his throat and breath in small gasps.

 “Is it too cold?” Minseok asked, leaning down over Luhan but making sure their skin was not touching.

 “No,” Luhan mumbled, shaking his head. “Overwhelmed by your touch. Wanting more. Please don’t leave me like this, in this state.”

 Minseok smiled softly as he placed a soft kiss on Luhan’s lips; a sweet and chaste thing, more to comfort than to arouse.

 “I am not going anywhere,” he whispered, and Luhan nodded once, acknowledging that he had heard.

 Minseok moved down again, cool fingertips travelling over Luhan’s skin and making him drag in a deep breath. That deep breath was expelled in a deep moan as Minseok leaned down and dragged his tongue up Luhan’s length, the coolness of Minseok once more adding more dimension to the touch.

 His entire body covered in goosebumps and his every nerve ending fizzling, Luhan threw an arm over his eyes as his entire being was consumed by a fire stoked by ice, panting, moaning and mewling to the licks and sucks he was subjected to.

 “Luhan, how do you want me?” Minseok’s lust-roughed voice tickled Luhan’s ear, and it took him a moment to register the words, mind muddled by pleasure.

 “Drawer,” Luhan panted, motioning for the bedside table. “Please…”

 As Minseok kissed him deeply, Luhan could taste himself on the spirit’s lips and tongue, but then he was gone, and Luhan whined over the absence. It did not take long before Minseok was back, though, and Luhan quickly drew him back down.

 “Minseok,” he pleaded against cool lips.

 “Just a moment, and then you will have me,” Minseok whispered back, lips finding lips as slick fingers found an entrance.

 Luhan hissed into the kiss as a finger pushed inside, his own fingers digging into the skin of Minseok’s back, but he forced himself to relax. It had been so long since he had last been this intimate with anyone, and he had forgotten how much it could hurt.

 This did not hurt too badly, though, with Minseok going slowly and being careful, and their kisses distracting Luhan enough after a while to succumb fully to the touch and penetration. And it did not take long before the pain ebbed enough to turn into pleasure, making Luhan once more grow hot.

 Before Luhan came undone enough to beg, Minseok pulled back, ridding himself of the rest of his clothes and covering himself with the lube he had fetched from the bedside table. Luhan absently wondered how Minseok knew what lube was, but all thoughts disappeared as Minseok knelt between his legs and slowly began to push inside.

 The chilly feel of Minseok’s length helped ease the slight burn, but Luhan still bit into the fleshy part of his hand, just below his thumb, to keep from making any noise. Stopping halfway, Minseok leaned forwards and pried Luhan’s hand out of his mouth, intertwining their fingers next to Luhan’s head instead.

 “I want to hear you,” Minseok breathed, resuming his entering, and Luhan tilted his head back into his pillow with a moan.

 Fully inside, Minseok stopped moving, letting them both rest and adjust, labored breathing and racing hearts matching.

 “I am sorry about the pain,” Minseok mumbled, sincerity twinkling in his eyes, but Luhan just chuckled.

 “I’m fine, just shut up and move, Baozi,” he said, earning himself a small smile as Minseok slowly began to pull out.

 A smile that grew larger as Luhan’s mouth fell open at the first real thrust, hard and fast and hitting deep.

 Luhan had no chance of containing the moans and mewls that slipped over his lips as Minseok set the pace, now quite quickly driving him insane. But somehow, he did not mind much. Somehow, Luhan did not feel embarrassed by it, somehow, Luhan just let go and lost control.

 Maybe it was Minseok’s words.

 “Sing for me,” he whispered into Luhan’s ear, effectively making desire claw at Luhan’s stomach and his legs to tighten around Minseok’s waist.

 Maybe it was because it just felt  _ amazing _ .

 Maybe it was something else, but Luhan did not put too much thought into it. Thoughts were overrated when you could give yourself into the feeling of pleasure.

 Especially when the feeling of pleasure coursed through your entire body, driven by thrusts and sensations, pooling deep in your stomach, until it exploded and painted your world and abdomen white.

 

 Slowly, Luhan drifted down from his high, breathing partially obstructed by the body that had collapsed on top of him.

 Minseok was even colder to the touch now, but as Luhan wrapped his arms around the spirit, he could feel his warmth infecting the other and slowly bringing him up to a more normal temperature.

 “I’m not sorry about any of this, except for the mess between us,” Luhan mumbled against Minseok’s hair, and Minseok just gave a tired chuckle, lips ghosting sweetly over Luhan’s jaw.

 And just like that, they both drifted off into sleep, both high on a feeling of contentedness, none of them dreaming.

 

 Consciousness began to trickle into Luhan’s body, and the first thing he noticed was that he was  _ cold _ .

 Something was missing, and with a whine, he tried to feel for the missing piece with his hand. And ended up slapping said missing piece, earning himself a grunt. With a mumble, he tried to apologize, but he did not know if he was making any sense, mind still stuck in sleepiness.

 Having located the missing piece - or man - Luhan tried to pull him closer, but sleep was making not only his mind muddled, but also his limbs weak. He hoped he would get his message across, though, and for Minseok to move closer.

 “Are you missing me?” Minseok asked in a low voice, smile evident in his tone. “So adorable… Come here, then.”

 Grumbling a little bit, Luhan brought himself close enough to the brink of consciousness to be able to roll towards the other man, but as he did, he remembered something.

 Rolling back onto his back, Luhan lifted the cover and looked down at himself, but his skin was clean. Frowning, he blinked at Minseok, who was watching him with a small smile on his lips.

 “I cleaned you up, and just returned,” Minseok filled Luhan in, before rolling over onto his side with his back to Luhan. “Forgive me for waking you up.”

 Luhan wriggled over to Minseok, draping himself over the spirit and pushing him down against the mattress as he pressed soft kisses to a cold shoulder.

 “Thank you,” he mumbled in between pecks, before sighing and laying down comfortably behind Minseok. “And I don’t mind, you should’ve woken me up so I could help!”

 “You looked so cute sleeping that I did not have the heart to do so,” Minseok said, slotting his fingers between Luhan’s resting against his stomach. “Maybe you can repay the favor some time, instead…”

 Luhan’s stomach both dropped and soared at the prospects the words painted, and he pressed his grinning lips against Minseok’s back.

 “Okay,” he simply said, before closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep again.

 And with Minseok calmly breathing next to him, it did not take long.

 

 The next time Luhan came awake, he quickly noticed that it was a lot warmer in his room.

 Apparently, the electricity had returned whilst they were sleeping, and looking out through the window, Luhan could see that the blizzard seemed to have calmed down as well.

 Somehow, this made him feel a bit sad, though.

 Looking down at the being in his arms, Luhan noticed that Minseok apparently also was awake, light eyes trained on the window as well.

 “Is it your doing?” Luhan asked, nodding towards the window.

 “No… Not really. I just let it return to its natural course, and that meant reducing in strength. Storms are not supposed to last forever, I just forced it to extend for a little while,” Minseok whispered back. “To buy some more time.”

 “How long can you stay?” Luhan asked, his arms tightening a bit around Minseok.

 “Oh, I can stay the entire winter, but you have to go to work, probably starting from tomorrow,” Minseok said, absent-mindedly dragging his fingers up and down one of Luhan’s arms.

 Luhan hummed, shivers going up his arm.

 “Let’s make the most of the time we have, then,” Luhan then said, pressing his lips just below Minseok’s ear and taking pride in making the spirit’s temperature cool down again.

 Luhan liked the effect he had on Minseok. A lot.

 

~*~

 

 “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry,” Luhan said, chewing on his bottom lip as he held the phone to his ear. “Apparently there’s a storm coming, and it wasn’t safe to fly. But as soon as I can, I’ll come home and visit!”

 “You better, Lu-ge, I haven’t seen you in months! Feels like you’ve forgotten your best friend!” the person on the other end complained, making Luhan smile from the use of ‘ge’.

 “Of course I haven’t, Yixing! How could I forget you, we’ve been through too much together!” Luhan exclaimed. “I promise though, as soon as I can, I’m coming home.”

 “You better,” Yixing said, and Luhan could hear the soft, dimpled smile through the phone. “Talk to you later, bye.”

 Luhan said his goodbyes and hung up the phone, before walking over to the window.

 The snow was falling like crazy, and it was starting to get dark, turning the whole world a dark grey. As he was watching the blizzard dance, he felt a pair of eyes on him, and even though it was too far away, even though his vision should not be able to make it out, Luhan looked down and locked eyes with a pair of icy blue ones.

 “Welcome back, Baozi,” Luhan whispered, a smile tugging on his lips, and he could almost sense the smile on the spirit’s face as well.

 Luhan loved the winter. He loved the cold and the snow, and he especially loved blizzards, though he was a bit careful with them. And finally, after so many months, winter had returned.

 Minseok had returned.


	2. Bonus Chapter - The Thawing of Minseok

 Minseok had lived for many years. Thousands of them, actually. But only once had he ever experienced what humans called ‘love’.

 It was a funny feeling, this ‘love’. It was something that Minseok was not used to - it was  _ warmth _ . Like a warming, fuzzy feeling in his chest, that sometimes grew and took over the entirety of his body.

 Especially on days like these, when Minseok was lying cradled in Luhan’s arms, surrounding him with even more warmth. But it was never too much, never  _ choking _ , like Minseok would have guessed it would have been. Just nice and warm, and fuzzy. And it made Minseok want to laugh.

 “What’s s’funny?” Luhan asked in a sleep-heavy voice, pulling Minseok even closer.

 “I am happy,” Minseok simply answered, pressing his face against Luhan’s neck and chuckling as it made the human shiver from the slightly different temperature. “So incredibly happy.”

 Minseok could almost feel the radiating smile Luhan gave, pressing soft kisses against his hair.

 “Me too, Baozi. Let’s just stay like this forever.”

 

 One of the best things about having a winter spirit as your boyfriend, was the fact that said boyfriend could summon storms so you did not have to go to work. Unfortunately, said boyfriend was also very hesitant to using this power, thinking that maybe you should be more of a responsible adult and do what you were being paid to do.

 “Just give me a day of cuddling you in bed,” Luhan whined as his fourth alarm went off.

 “I’ll be here when you get back,” Minseok simply said, giving Luhan a peck on the lips.

 Grumbling, Luhan forced himself to get out of bed and start getting ready, knowing he needed to hurry up, but wanting to do nothing more than bury himself beneath his cover and Minseok.

 

 Despite Minseok being a winter spirit, their relationship was far from chill.

 Luhan blamed his raging hormones on them only being able to meet during the winters, whilst Minseok was pretty sure it did not matter if they were together all year long, or only during a certain season. Luhan seemed insatiable anyway.

 Not that Minseok really complained - he had thousands of years of built-up frustrations that he was finally able to release, and there was nothing better than letting Luhan help him.

 During their second winter together they were probably the worse, which Luhan’s old bed unfortunately had to pay for. Exploring and pleasing, they had been moving around quite a lot, when suddenly a large ‘crack!’ had been heard.

 “What was that?” Luhan had panted, stopping his thrusting. Minseok, already too far gone, had whined and writhed beneath Luhan, wanting,  _ needing _ , him to continue. “Ssh, baby, wait-WOAH!”

 The bed gave a few wobbles, before it gave out, and crashed down onto the floor. The impact made Luhan sprawl on top of Minseok, accidentally giving a deep thrust that hit just right, and it was enough to send Minseok over the edge.

 So all of a sudden, Luhan found himself in a broken bed, lying on top of a trembling and coming Minseok, confused about what had just happened.

 “Uh, are you okay?” Luhan asked as Minseok began to calm down.

 “Yes,  _ very much _ so,” Minseok mumbled, gasping a bit for air. “I think the bed broke.”

 Without really meaning to, Luhan burst out laughing.

 “No, really?” he chuckled, grinning wider over the half-annoyed, full-exhausted look Minseok sent him. “You think so?”

 “Oh, get off me, you buffoon,” Minseok muttered, pushing at Luhan’s chest and making him laugh even more. “I understand why you did not want me to jump in your bed…”

 Luhan hissed a bit as he slid out of Minseok and rolled over onto his back, still achingly hard and sensitive.

 “Yeah, it was too cheap and too old, guess it’s done its duty now,” Luhan breathed, throwing an arm over his eyes and groaning. “I don’t want to go bed shopping…”

 “Stop worrying about that now,” Minseok murmured, voice coming from somewhere further down, but before Luhan had the chance to remove his arm and open his eyes, a cold wetness enveloped his length.

 Gasping and jerking, Luhan thought to himself that he would probably never get used to the added sensations of Minseok’s fluctuating body heat, before his mind turned to goo and his mouth no longer could form any cohesive words.

 

 The end of Luhan and Minseok’s third winter was steadily getting closer, and both so attached to each other by now dreaded having to say goodbye again. Even if they knew that winter would come once more, it was still a long time without the other.

 Every morning, Luhan looked up the weather on his phone, sighing over the temperatures rising. Every night, Minseok felt the cold drain out of him, urging him to leave. But still, Minseok stayed another night, and Luhan did not mention a word about it in the morning.

 Until one morning, when something strange happened. Since it was the weekend, Luhan was able to sleep in, and wake up whenever his body felt like it. Minseok had a tendency to sleep until Luhan woke up, no matter how early or late it was, and Luhan often wondered if he was doing this by magic, or if they were just so attuned to each other.

 As his body and mind began to wake up, Luhan pulled the body in his arms closer, pushing his nose into the hair and inhaling that sweet scent. But something was off today, something was not quite right. It smelled like Minseok, like a cold winter’s day and spearmint, but at the same time, there was something else there as well. Something more…  _ Human _ . And the body in Luhan’s arms was warm, almost warmer than Luhan himself, and Minseok was  _ never _ warmer than Luhan.

 Eyes flying open, Luhan looked down and saw black. Black hair, not white. Before his mind began to process the information, Luhan gasped and pulled back, accidentally falling off of the bed.

 “Luhan? What are you doing?” came Minseok’s voice, but it was softer than normal. Not as  _ icy _ in a way. And then Minseok’s face appeared over the edge, sleepy and with eyes barely open, eyes that were brown, not icy blue.

 Luhan could only stare in shock at the man in his bed - because it was Minseok, just not  _ Minseok _ . The same facial features, similar voice, same mannerisms…

 All the staring and the silence finally seemed to wake Minseok up properly, and he pulled himself closer to the edge as worry furrowed his brow.

 “What is it, are you okay?” he asked in his Minseok-but-not- _ Minseok _ voice.

 “I-I… Y-You…  _ Baozi _ ?” Luhan finally managed to get out, confusion stirring his thoughts into a jumbled mess. “What happened?!”

 Minseok’s frown turned more confused than worried as he dragged a hand through his  _ black _ hair to get it out of his eyes, but then he froze, eyes widening. Pulling his hair back down, he inhaled in panic, before rushing to the bathroom.

 Going as quickly as his bruised butt allowed him, Luhan followed Minseok, finding him standing and staring at himself in the mirror. It took a few seconds, but then he turned towards Luhan, fear clear in his dark eyes.

 “My powers are gone,” Minseok said in a weak voice, and Luhan felt as if his knees were about to give out beneath him.

 After having retreated back to the bed, Luhan pulled Minseok close and held him there. The former spirit was still shocked, and Luhan could totally understand that. Having spent thousands of years as a spirit of winter, and then suddenly waking up as a human being must be straight up terrifying.

 “This has never happened before…,” Minseok mumbled to himself, and Luhan could feel him tremble slightly. “I don’t understand…”

 “Maybe it’s because you stayed here for too long?” Luhan whispered into Minseok’s hair.

 Minseok was silent for a little while, before pulling back to look up at Luhan.

 “What are you talking about?”

 “Well, you’ve always moved on whenever winter has been about to end in whatever place you are, right?” Luhan said, giving a comforting little smile. “Maybe you stayed for too long, and the winter left without you, taking that part of you with it as well?”

 Minseok was silent for a while more, obviously contemplating what Luhan had said. After a few minutes he looked up at Luhan once more, conflict in his eyes.

 “I guess that might… That might be what is happening…,” Minseok slowly said, before sighing. “I had no idea this could happen, but I have never really thought about what might happen if I stayed… Well, until recently, but this was never one of the options I thought off…”

 “Wait, what do you mean ‘until recently’?” Luhan asked, the words echoing in his mind.

 “Well, I have sometimes thought about what would happen if I choose to stay with you instead of leaving and returning,” Minseok said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. “I suspected that I might either continue as before, with my powers intact, or simply die. I never thought of the possibility of becoming mortal, though…”

 To Luhan, this was a big deal. Because Luhan had wondered the same, especially during the summer months, when it had been so long since last he saw Minseok, and so long until the next time he would see him again. But it was never something that he had felt comfortable bringing up whenever Minseok returned, out of fear that Minseok would not like the idea, and maybe leave him for good.

 “You’ve thought about staying with me?” Luhan breathed, feeling incredibly emotional all of a sudden.

 Picking up on Luhan’s state of mind, Minseok smiled softly and placed his hand against Luhan’s cheek, and even though it was strangely warm, it was still Minseok’s hand, and that comforted Luhan a little.

 “Of course I have. I thought about staying and finding out what would happen, even if it would be the death of me, but I was never brave enough,” Minseok whispered, seeming a bit ashamed about it. “I thought that it would be better to be alive and see you for a few months every year, than dead and never able to see you again…”

 “I’m glad you didn’t risk it, because I completely agree with that,” Luhan answered, placing a hand over Minseok’s, and smiling a bit. “I’d much rather have you here for only a few months, but alive.”

 “Yet here we are,” Minseok said, chuckling a bit. “Winter is over, and I am human. I wonder what will happen when winter comes again…”

 Luhan grinned, snuggling a bit closer to his now mortal boyfriend.

 “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…”

 

 Going from immortal to mortal was quite the big adjustment. Minseok knew how to live like a human being, but it was one thing knowing, and one thing actually  _ having _ to.

 Like how he knew humans needed to eat every now and then to survive. In the past, Minseok had not required food to survive, and even though he had several times helped Luhan prepare dinner, and eat it, it was not something he thought too much about.

 Now, with a human body, it was all new.

 “Luhan, why do I have a really painful, empty feeling in my stomach?” Minseok asked after a while of comforting snuggles in the bed. Just then, a loud growl tore through the room, and Luhan burst out laughing as the growl made Minseok jump.

 “I think you’re hungry,” Luhan chuckled, beginning to get out of bed.

 “ _ This _ is how hunger feels?” Minseok asked, clutching his stomach and grimacing. “It’s horrible!”

 Luhan made a quick and easy breakfast for the both of them, and Minseok more or less shoveled the food into his mouth. Luhan had to tell him to slow down, or he would get a tummy ache, and Minseok begrudgingly did as told.

 “Luhan?” Minseok asked after breakfast, Luhan humming in answer as he took the dishes away. “I think… I think I need to pee. There is a pressure in my lower abdomen, as if something needs to come out, and I am guessing that is the feeling of having to relieve my bladder.”

 Almost dropping the plates, Luhan quickly put them down before pulling Minseok with him to the bathroom, explaining about the necessity of going when you felt like going to the bathroom, and not wait.

 “Guys can go to the toilet in two different ways, either by standing, or sitting,” Luhan explained, feeling a bit like a dad. “Either way you chose, make sure to keep your penis pointed at the toilet, otherwise accidents may happen.”

 “Can you show me?” Minseok asked innocently, but Luhan’s face went up in flames.

 “Uh, no, I think you can figure it out yourself,” Luhan said, before pushing Minseok inside of the bathroom and closing the door. “You must have seen people write their names in the snow by peeing?”

 “Ah, yes, that is true. Is that how I should do it?” Minseok asked from behind the closed door, and Luhan almost tore it open in panic.

 “No! Big no! Please don’t try to write your name in pee!” Luhan exclaimed.

 “I meant, is that how I am supposed to hold it, and aim?” Minseok chuckled. “I understand that it will be… Messy, if I try to write my name.”

 “Good, yes, that’s how you’re supposed to hold it and aim,” Luhan said, starting to feel drained. And even more so when he thought of having to teach Minseok how to  _ wipe _ . Surely there must be a WikiHow for that?

 

 The first couple of days were a bit stressful, as Minseok tried to relearn how to live. He often felt frustrated by the limitations of the human body - the whole process of eating food, getting nutrients, and getting rid of the unwanted things was something Minseok was pretty sure he despised - but he was slowly getting used to it. Having watched humans for uncountable years greatly helped, as well as Luhan’s love and patience.

 Soon, Minseok was rather used to his new existence, and began to try to enjoy it for however long it would last. He hoped not too long, but he was willing to try it out for some time.

 One thing that Minseok was looking forwards to was the spring. Sure, he had seen the first signs of it countless of times, but never having stayed behind long enough, he had never seen it at its peak.

 “I want to see the cherry blossoms bloom,” Minseok whispered one evening, Luhan in his arms on the sofa as they lazily watched a rerun of an old show.

 Luhan tilted his head back so that he could look up at Minseok, amusement pulling at his lips.

 “That’s in another month or so, but sure, we can do that,” Luhan said, and Minseok smiled at him.

 “Thank you,” Minseok said, before leaning down and giving Luhan a soft kiss.

 

 A month and more blew past like a winter storm, and suddenly it was the beginning of April. Luhan had managed to teach Minseok the basics needed to somewhat survive in the 21st century - like how to use a phone and computer properly, how to pay with a card, how to keep yourself from buying every cute little thing you could find online - and felt confident enough in Minseok’s abilities to let him do things on his own, like grocery shopping and things like that.

 Minseok found it rather nice to be able to get out of Luhan’s apartment every now and then on his own, and watch humanity and nature in a way he never had before.

 A few times, Luhan took Minseok out on dates. It was a fun experience for the both of them - Minseok being blown away by seeing a movie in 3D for the first time, and Luhan laughing over Minseok’s shocked and amazed exclamations.

 The first week of April, Luhan arrived home after working, a mysterious smile on his lips. Minseok, who had cleaned the kitchen - he felt that he wanted to help with the apartment in some way, since Luhan took care of everything else, and found out he actually kind of enjoyed cleaning - had asked what was happening, but not received any answer outside of a suppressed giggle.

 After a quick shower, Luhan had forced Minseok to stop cleaning and take a shower as well, and then dress up.

 “Something nice, but still comfortable,” Luhan had said, before skipping away and leaving Minseok on his own.

 Confused about things, Minseok had nevertheless entertained whatever idea Luhan was having, taking a shower before dressing up. When done, he had joined Luhan in the living room, once more asking what was going on, but Luhan had kept mum about it, just grinning like crazy.

 “We’re going out for a while,” Luhan said as he pulled Minseok over to the entrance. “A surprise for you!”

 They left the apartment and headed towards the train station. Minseok had been on the train twice already, but he was still a bit scared by it. It was so large and fast and  _ loud _ , and Minseok prefered more quiet things. But it was an efficient way to travel, he had to admit.

 Luhan kept a firm grip on Minseok’s hand throughout their wait for their train, and onboard of it. Sitting down in an empty seat, Luhan began to play with Minseok’s fingers in that way he did whenever he was nervous about something, or excited. Minseok wondered which it was right now - maybe both?

 Half an hour later, Luhan motioned for Minseok to move, the train starting to slow down. They got off at a to Minseok unfamiliar station, but before he had the chance to look around, Luhan was pulling him along out of the station and onto the streets.

 Festivities seemed to be happening all around them, and Minseok was getting a bit dizzy from it all. Everywhere he looked, something was happening, and the entire town seemed to buzz with life. It was overwhelming, yet strangely energizing, and Minseok found himself smiling at the children running around with balloons in their tiny hands.

 “Okay, from here on, I need to put a blindfold on you,” Luhan said suddenly, coming to a stop. “Do you trust me?”

 Minseok looked over at Luhan with a frown, but nodded.

 “I do, though I fail to see the need for a blindfold,” Minseok said.

 “Because this is a surprise for you, I don’t want you to see it before I’m ready,” Luhan said, smiling softly, holding up a scarf. “Ready?”

 Minseok nodded once more and closed his eyes, allowing Luhan to tie the scarf over his eyes. It was slightly scary with all the motion around him, but Minseok found himself feeling rather secure with Luhan next to him. If there was anyone Minseok thought could keep him safe, it was Luhan, after all.

 They began to move once more, slower this time, and the sounds slowly began to die around them. After a while, the air became different, and Minseok took a few sniffs. It smelled more of pure nature and less like a city, and he found himself relaxing a bit more. Soon the ground changed beneath his shoe-clad feet, and Minseok realized that he was walking across grass.

 “Okay, now, stand here,” Luhan mumbled into Minseok’s ear, sending shivers down his spine. “Like this, good. Close your eyes, and I’ll remove the blindfold, then I’ll tell you when you can open them.”

 Minseok did as told, feeling the scarf being removed, and Luhan move behind him. Two hands placed themselves on his hips, and Minseok leaned back into the embrace a little, feeling Luhan against him.

 “Open your eyes,” Luhan whispered, lips against Minseok’s temple, and there was tense anticipation in his voice.

 Slowly, Minseok let his eyes flutter open, squinting a bit in the faint light as he had became a bit unused to it. But when his vision cleared, he gasped, eyes growing larger.

 They were standing in a grove, thousands upon thousands of light pink cherry blossoms around them. It was simply breathtaking, and Minseok was unable to get a single word out.

 “You said you wanted to see the cherry blossoms,” Luhan mumbled into Minseok’s hair, and Minseok could feel his smile. “A few days ago I found out that they were blooming, and thought why not bring you here. What do you think?”

 Minseok gave a breathless laugh, eyes darting all around the trees, forcing the memory to engrave itself into his mind.

 “So beautiful,” he breathed after a few seconds, scared of speaking to loud in a place as sacred-looking as this. “I never knew spring was this beautiful…”

 “Not saying winter can’t be beautiful in its own way, but yeah, you kinda chose the wrong season,” Luhan snickered, earning himself a light slap on the shoulder.

 “Hush, let me enjoy this magical moment,” Minseok softly reprimanded, slowly moving away from Luhan’s touch.

 Luhan stayed back, at the edge, to watch Minseok. There was a gentle smile on his lips as he watched the former winter spirit move around, sometimes reaching out to caress the petals with a reverential carefulness.

 At one point, Minseok turned back to grin at Luhan, petals dancing in the wind around him, pink and fluffy clouds of flower framing the picture, and it struck something deep within Luhan. All he could do was stare, and he knew he would never forget this day, or this image of Minseok amongst the cherry blossoms. He looked as ethereal as he was.

 Or, was supposed to be, at least.

 They stayed amongst the trees for hours, until the sun went down and it became too dark to see.

 “Was it worth it?” Luhan asked as he took Minseok’s hand and they began to walk back towards the city.

 “Yes. Spring is truly as beautiful as all the tales say,” Minseok breathed, still smiling softly, and Luhan adored the gentle look on his face. “Thank you, for bringing me here.”

 Luhan shrugged and looked away to cover up all the feelings inside of him right now.

 “Well, I thought, if you end up dying because you lost your powers, you should at least get your wish fulfilled,” Luhan said, tone joking but still heavy.

 Suddenly, he was pulled to a stop, and when he turned around in confusion, Minseok cradled Luhan’s face in his hands, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

 “Thank you, for showing me all of this,” Minseok whispered when he pulled back, but still staying close. “Not only the cherry blossoms, but love as well. Thank you for showing me all of the things I never knew I needed. If I end up dying, I want you to know.”

 And then there was a lump in Luhan’s throat, that was trying to choke him with tears.

 “Don’t say that,” Luhan mumbled, running his fingertips over Minseok’s cheeks. “You’re not going to die. I’m not going to let you die…”

 Minseok just smiled again, and it was soft and sad, before giving Luhan another kiss beneath the cherry trees and the open sky.

 

 Spring evolved into summer, and each and every day, Luhan was afraid to find Minseok withering away, like a flower drying out. Minseok tried to convince him not to worry, but it was useless. After all, Luhan had found a love he never knew existed, and he was given more reasons to fear losing his love all of a sudden.

 “Is there any ice left?” Minseok asked one particularly hot day.

 They had been lazing around, lying on the floor and reading, for most of the day, neither really feeling like doing much else. But now, Luhan quickly jumped to his feet, and raced out into the kitchen.

 “Yes! How many do you want? Ten? Do you want them as they are, or wrapped in a towel or something?” Luhan called back into the living room, where Minseok rolled his eyes over the obvious tone of worry in his boyfriend’s voice, before climbing to his feet.

 “Calm down, Luhan. I asked since I figured we could put some in water, making it colder,” Minseok said as he walked over to Luhan, taking both of the taller’s hands into his own. “I am still fine, just slightly thirsty, and slightly tired of this heat. I have never experienced anything like this before…”

 Luhan gave a little sigh, dropping his forehead on Minseok’s shoulder, but unable to bring himself to hug the shorter closer. Yes, he was worried and in need of comfort, but everything was so  _ warm _ and  _ sticky _ , and just  _ no _ .

 “I’m sorry,” Luhan breathed, closing his eyes and inhaling the smell of human Minseok - everything that spirit Minseok smelled like, but something a bit more real, and now also a tinge of sweat. “I just… I don’t want to lose you…”

 “I am quite sure that if I survive this heat, nothing will be able to kill me,” Minseok chuckled, and it made Luhan smile a little bit. “But I need to get some water, I really am thirsty, and would rather not experience heat stroke…”

 Luhan pulled away and nodded, fetching two glasses as Minseok took the ice, sighing happily as the coldness from the freezer washed over him.

 “If I still had my powers, I would be able to turn the entire apartment into a freezer,” Minseok wistfully said, and Luhan sighed over the mental image.

 “And I wouldn’t have minded it one bit,” Luhan said, filling the glasses with water, before putting them down next to Minseok. “Do you think you’ll regain your powers if I lock you into the freezer for a few hours?”

 Minseok merely raised a brow, glancing up at Luhan, before resuming putting the ice into the water glasses, a smirk lightly curving his lips.

 “You would never even be able to force me inside,” Minseok murmured, and even though Luhan was too warm and too sweaty, it still called out to him like a challenge.

 “I’m stronger than you,” Luhan snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

 Minseok put the rest of the ice back into the freezer, before turning back to Luhan with a full-blown smirk on his lips.

 “Oh, we both know that is not true,” Minseok  _ purred _ , taking his glass and walking back into the living room, leaving Luhan feeling even more hot and bothered than before.

 Cursing to himself, Luhan grabbed his glass and drained half of it in one go, but it did not do much to help.

 

 Summer slowly dragged past, and when the temperatures began to decline, so did Luhan’s worries. Minseok had made it through the hottest months, and survived.

 “Winter is coming,” Minseok mumbled one late October evening, as they were lying in the bed, about to go to sleep.

 “Hm? But it’s only October,” Luhan whispered into Minseok’s hair, pulling him a bit closer.

 “Yes, but winter is coming. I can feel it,” Minseok said, and Luhan could feel the smile against his collarbone. “It is soon here…”

 And Luhan had to admit - if it was one person he would trust with predicting something like that, it was Minseok. And it was not only Minseok’s words, but the fact that Luhan began noticing Minseok’s body temperature dropping. He had been around the same as Luhan since that fated spring day, and now, suddenly, he was beginning to get colder and colder. Which was strange, since Luhan had gotten quite used to warm Minseok instead of cold Minseok.

 And then, one day in November, as they were closer to December than October, it happened.

 Luhan had just gotten home from grocery shopping to find Minseok standing in the living room, looking out through the windows with one hand pressed against the glass.

 “It’s starting,” Minseok had whispered as Luhan had gotten closer, and looking out, Luhan could start to see tiny, tiny specks of white float through the air.

 It was snowing. Winter had arrived.

 Something shimmered at the corner of his eyes, and turning, Luhan stopped breathing as he watched Minseok. Tiny sparks were going down his body, like a waterfall of them pouring slowly from the top of his head to the tip of his toe, taking away the human Minseok with dark eyes and darker hair, and leaving spirit Minseok, with snowy white hair and icy blue eyes.

 “Wow,” Luhan breathed, spellbound, as he reached out to touch the sparks with the tip of his fingers. They stung a little bit, like when you touched something that was a bit too cold, that icy burning feeling.

 Giving a pleased sigh, Minseok held his hand up, smiling softly as small snowflakes began to dance above his palm.

 “There we go… Now everything is right with the world once more,” Minseok said, smile widening as he looked up at Luhan.

 And Luhan could not help but smile in agreement, because yes, now everything was right. No matter how fun it had been with human Minseok, winter spirit Minseok was his  _ proper _ form, his true form. And as Minseok reached up to place a cold hand on Luhan’s cheek, and press cold lips against Luhan lips, setting off a shiver down Luhan’s spine, it felt like  _ home _ .

 Because even though Luhan had spent several months with a human Minseok, it was the winter spirit Luhan had gotten to know, that Luhan had fallen for, that Luhan had loved both mentally and physically. And even though Luhan still loved Minseok in his human form, he loved him even more as a spirit of winter. Chilling touches and icy kisses included. They just added another amazing dimension to their relationship, after all, without the hassle of melting ice and drenched sheets.

 As Luhan took Minseok’s hands and pulled him towards the bedroom, without breaking the kiss, Luhan realized that he might even have  _ missed _ the coldness. And a couple of years back, Luhan had hated the winter and the cold it brought.

 Funny what love did to you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I'd want to write XiuHan so closely after Luhan revealing his girlfriend (bless them they are cute together!), but this kind of just popped into my head and made me write it... I don't think I'll ever write non-AU XiuHan taking place after Luhan leaving EXO, but AU still seems okay to at least me, so. Here you go, to answer what would happen if Minseok ever stayed even as winter went away~!

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda emotional over this one... I love fantasy concepts, and I was so proud over this one when I wrote it :') even if I rewrote several parts several times, it holds such a dear place in my heart... XiuHan was my first EXO ship, the one who made me tumble head-first into this fandom, and made me write and publish my fics. It's a very special ship to me, even if it's pretty confirmed sunken now :')


End file.
